Google patents SMS payment system

Whether this is a sign of things to come from the “upcoming” Google Phone, or just a good idea remains to be seen, but we’ll take what we can get. Google has recently been granted a U.S. patent for a system that will allow mobile phone users to pay for goods and services by way of their wireless handset. Payments can be made at vending machines, business, and other points of sale. The process appears to involve sending a text to unique shortcode. The SMS message itself contains all of the relevant information, including merchant identification and payment amount. Once received, the product(s) is as good as paid for. Sounds like a short and sweet method of buying those new “sodas” without taking your wallet out of your pocket.

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