Westpac Australia has confirmed that it is trialling an app for Google Glass following news this morning that Westpac New Zealand was trialling its Cash Tank app on the technology.
Westpac Group general manager Harry Wendt told Techworld Australia that the bank is currently trialling a version of the St George MoneyMeter app for Google Glass and smart watches.
The iPhone version of MoneyMeter app lets users check bank balances multiple times on their iPhones without having to log onto its mobile banking service. It was launched in December 2012.
“We are also trialling a Westpac branch and ATM locater on smart watches. Our intention is to test, learn and then use what we have learnt to introduce it into our other brands,” he said.
In addition, Westpac Australia has a proof of concept using Apple’s iBeacon technology underway which will be trialled in three branches during mid-2014. However, he would not say which branches were taking part in the trial.
iBeacon allows customers to receive special offers on their device when they are in or walking past a shop that is using the technology.
It also alerts staff that a customer has arrived for a pre-ordered item and can remind the customer that they are in a place that has an item on their digital shopping list.
“We look forward to seeing how these trials go in both Australia and New Zealand as we continually look for new ways to bring these technologies to life for customers,” Wendt said.
Westpac is not the only Australian organisation working on Google Glass apps.
In September 2013, Telstra and Seventh Beam announced that they had developed an app called AFL Glassware for the 2014 AFL season. The app allows fans to choose a live game commentary or have the commentary translated to text via the optical display. Customers will also be able to view scores and stats while watching the match.
A Google Australia spokesman said the company had “nothing to share” about Google Glass availability or pricing for Australia yet. He added that the Glass Explorer program is currently only available in the US.
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