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Google Wallet iOS app gets loyalty card scanning, notifications for nearby merchants

Google-WalletAfter rolling out the update to Android devices last week, Google today updated its Google Wallet app for iOS with the ability to scan physical loyalty cards. Rather than having to type out your account information to join a new program within the app, scanning a physical loyalty card from a supported retailer will auto-populate your info and automate the process.

The updated app also now includes new notifications for nearby retailers related to loyalty programs you’ve joined. If you’ve joined the Walgreens program, for example, you’ll get notifications reminding you “to shop and earn rewards” when close to a brick and mortar retail location.

The updated Google Wallet iOS app is available on the App Store now.

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Google Wallet update rolling out to Android w/ loyalty card scanning, notifications

Google-Wallet-Loyalty-cardsGoogle is going rolling out a new version of the Google Wallet app for Android this week that will bring a couple of new features including the ability to join loyalty programs by scanning physical cards:

Now adding your loyalty cards is even easier. Just scan the card with the camera in your device, and you’re done! Your loyalty program info will auto-populate, so you can add more and type less.

Google is also including new notifications tied to the loyalty programs that it says will remind you “to shop and earn rewards” when in the proximity of a store for one of the programs you’ve joined.

The update doesn’t appear to have hit Google Play just yet, but should land sometime this week for devices running Android 4.0+.

Judge sides with Google in long-running book-scanning case with Authors Guild

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After a nearly eight year battle stemming from a lawsuit brought on by authors accusing Google of digitally scanning books without permission, a judge has now officially sided with Google and dismissed the case. Reuters reports:

U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan accepted Google’s argument that its scanning of more than 20 million books for an electronic database, and making “snippets” of text available for online searches, constituted fair use.

“In my view, Google Books provide significant public benefits,” Chin wrote.

The ultimate decision was essentially that by scanning snippets of books to use with Google Books or in search, Google was providing more benefits to the authors than disadvantages. The judge is also quoted as calling the service “an essential research tool” that creates new income for authors and lets users discover content. GigaOM got the following statement from Google, but the Authors Guild is yet to speak out on the decision:
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