Google has announced that it will be acquiring some of Softcard's backend tech, the company creates a 'tap to pay' service, also referred to as NFC-based payments. Google will be folding this newly purchased IP into its Google Wallet service which is bad news for anyone who has a Windows Phone.
Since Softcard is selling its tech to Google, this means that its current apps and services that utilized this IP will no longer function. Because of this, Windows Phone users are left out of the NFC payment world as Softcard was the premier app to allow for these activities.
Further, because of Google's choice to ignore the world of Windows, it seems unlikely that Google Wallet will be coming to Windows Phone users anytime soon, if at all.
The announcement came directly from Softcard, so there is no ambiguity that NFC payments, for now, are dead on Windows Phone. That doesn't mean another vendor can't step up and fill this void but Softcard also had the support of AT&T and Verizon, and it can take years to develop those relationships to gain that type of support.
This is another blow to the Windows Phone ecosystem with the loss of yet another useful service for its users. While Microsoft is pushing universal apps and the like to help grow the Windows Phone install base, it now finds itself left out of the quickly growing NFC payment conversation.
Source: Softcard
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