Samsung clone of Apple's Passbook hits Google Play for some Galaxy devices
Samsung's answer to Apple's Passbook feature has arrived on the Google Play Store for Android, giving select Galaxy device owners the ability to store tickets, coupons, and more.
Samsung Wallet hit the Google Play Store on Thursday and bears a strong resemblance to the Passbook feature Apple includes on iOS. The app was announced in beta for developers back in February, but it has only just now made it to the Play Store. It is compatible with the Galaxy S3, S4, Note, and Note 2.
Like Apple's Passbook, Samsung Wallet allows users to store and manage tickets, coupons, boarding passes, and membership cards. It also allows users to set time and location-based reminders to show tickets.
Initial supporters for Samsung Wallet include Walgreens, Major League Baseball, Expedia.com, Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Lufthansa in the United States.
The app raised eyebrows at its debut due to its striking resemblance to Apple's Passbook feature. Samsung even used a similar app icon when initially showing off the app. The two companies are engaged in a number of patent infringement suits in which Apple alleges that Samsung has copied not only the physical look and feel of its iPhone and iPad, but also the iOS software powering those devices.
Since Passbook's debut, it has gone on to become quite popular in a trial run at Major League Baseball stations, with some 13 MLB stadiums accepting Passbook at their ticket gates this season. It has also seen wide support from Starbucks, Fandango, Amtrak, and a number of airlines.
Samsung Wallet hit the Google Play Store on Thursday and bears a strong resemblance to the Passbook feature Apple includes on iOS. The app was announced in beta for developers back in February, but it has only just now made it to the Play Store. It is compatible with the Galaxy S3, S4, Note, and Note 2.
Like Apple's Passbook, Samsung Wallet allows users to store and manage tickets, coupons, boarding passes, and membership cards. It also allows users to set time and location-based reminders to show tickets.
Initial supporters for Samsung Wallet include Walgreens, Major League Baseball, Expedia.com, Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Lufthansa in the United States.
The app raised eyebrows at its debut due to its striking resemblance to Apple's Passbook feature. Samsung even used a similar app icon when initially showing off the app. The two companies are engaged in a number of patent infringement suits in which Apple alleges that Samsung has copied not only the physical look and feel of its iPhone and iPad, but also the iOS software powering those devices.
Since Passbook's debut, it has gone on to become quite popular in a trial run at Major League Baseball stations, with some 13 MLB stadiums accepting Passbook at their ticket gates this season. It has also seen wide support from Starbucks, Fandango, Amtrak, and a number of airlines.
Comments
In yo' face Apple- In yo' face!
(cue in Stewie Griffin)
If you can't afford Apple, Samesung will probably make a decent knock off product and eventually they will try to incorporate Apple's features as well.
"Samsung even used a similar app icon when initially showing off the app."
This is kind of standard practice really. When everyone in your target audience already knows your a copyist, (I mean that's why they are buying your products in the first place), you need to let everyone know quickly and directly which thing, this new thing is a copy of. Once that's established, you can respond to the inevitable letter from the lawyers of the company whose IP you are copying, and change it just enough to avoid prosecution.
It's kind of like a legal way to make an actual public announcement that you are copying this or that feature or product, without the legal liability of admitting same. You often get some free advertising in the form of shocked articles from tech journalists on the web etc. as well.
Quote:
The app raised eyebrows at its debut due to its striking resemblance to Apple's Passbook feature.
It would have been a surprise only if it did not resemble Apple's passbook.
Might aswell have bundled it with an OS upgrade.
You ll find apps on there that isn't compatible with your handset even if it's the latest and greatest flagship HTC phone, coz it's made to run on Samsung phones. So eventually you'll end up seeing 25 different passbook apps from every other vendor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jungmark
Doesn't Sammy know, NFC is the big thing. /s
They probably know as much as most of their customers. NFC? Huh? What's that? Most of the Android phone users I know didn't know what NFC was, what it stood for, what it did and if it was in their phone, so obviously it wasn't a reason they bought the product. Typically for Android users they buy the product because it's cheap or it has a big screen.
Samesung's like hell with innovation we tried it with S4 retina tracking and that Jedi air touch no ones buying it. Let's stick with our true strengths cloning !
Only a matter of time before they go to the car companies asking them to implement Samsung in the car feature.
I don't think you're offered apps that won't work on your particular Android device. Now if you're not signed in and just browsing around or don't own an Android device in the first place then you can see every app there is.
Oh dint you see the kids bump there phones to transfer files using NFC ?
They'll end up having a good work out if they had to share files with 10 people. It's like going back to the mail man delivering letters days. Walk all the way and bump!
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikilok
Samesung's like hell with innovation we tried it with S4 retina tracking and that Jedi air touch no ones buying it. Let's stick with our true strengths cloning !
Only a matter of time before they go to the car companies asking them to implement Samsung in the car feature.
I ran into one fellow that had a Droid and he was showing me that face recognition to replace a password log in. he said it didn't work when he grew a beard. It was funny or if he shaved his beard. Plus it takes a while to recognize.
I think a lot of these so-called cool features that Android phones have are more like a cool demo feature, but always a "I use the feature daily and can't live without it" feature.
I do think that having IR to replace a remote control is useful. That's something I would use if it was built in and they had all of the codes for the stereo/audio equipment I used. That's a useful feature. But the hand free control? I might use that feature once in a while. Maybe. The bump feature? I think that's kinda dumb.
I think these guys use the shotgun approach when it comes to adding features, because once in a while they might actually hit the target. But that's most technology companies.
Some features companies add are sometimes not very well implemented OR they might be a little ahead of their time and it needs some more development time to make it a daily use feature. I've seen that a lot.
Then, what will Samsung use for "inspiration" ?
What's to patent? The prior art is legion. Anyone would think Apple has invented something new here. Japan has had NFC electronic payments via phone for nearly a decade.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2004-07-22-wallet-phone_x.htm
That's 2004 people.
Samsung have been at this a lot longer than Apple:
That's only 8 years before Apple came up with Passbook.
So who's the copycat?