Regardless of where you sit in the Samsung copying Apple discussion, the Korean smartphone maker announced its latest tool in the fight against its Cupertino rival: a Passbook-style ticket and coupon management app called Samsung Wallet. Unveiling Wallet at its Developer Day at Mobile World Congress, Samsung explains that it has launched the tool with an open API, allowing users to save tickets, boarding passes, coupons and similar cards to the app and access them from a central hub. At launch, the company has US partners onboard, including Walgreens, MLB, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com and Lufthansa. The service has been rumored for some time, since Samsung filed a US trademark application on the term ‘Samsung Wallet’ back in March 2012. The app will not support payments but it does support NFC, but Samsung will likely lean on its partnership with VISA to offer NFC payments.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.