UK next to get Google Wallet in time for the Olympics

UK next to get Google Wallet in time for the Olympics
Like this, but with a Google logo

There are some advantages to being the host nation for the Olympic Games and it looks as though getting Google Wallet may be one of them, with the search giant reportedly looking to bring its NFC payment project to London in time for the Games.

To be ready in time for the July/August sports fest, French newspaper Les Echos suggests that Google Wallet will land here in the first quarter of 2012 (January to March).

To this end, Google is currently said to be in talks with banks, distributors and retailer on our fair shores, setting up deals that will see contactless payments accessible to NFC-enabled handsets.

Taking the silver

Google Wallet first launched in the US in autumn of this year, after Google backed NFC tech by including it in the Google Nexus S - since then most smartphone manufacturers have followed suit except, notably, Apple.

Rumours that Apple will include NFC in the iPhone 5 have quietened down, but we wouldn't be particularly shocked to discover that Cupertino has a secret NFC lab beavering away on just that.

Meanwhile in Redmond, Microsoft told TechRadar exclusively that Windows Phone 7.5 already supports the technology, but none of the Windows Phone manufacturers have yet seen fit to enable it.

From Les Echos via The Next Web

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.