(Photo Courtesy of google.com/wallet)

In two highly combative categories — Android vs. iPhone and the ongoing battle for wireless phone service — Google just settled the score.

And it’s secret weapon: the Google Wallet.

Google Wallet, released Monday, is Google’s attempt to allow users to combine credit cards with the user’s cell phone.

This nifty Wallet uses the near field communication (NFC) system built into select Android phones that allows users to tap his or her phone to a compatible card reader in lieu of using credit cards as payment.

Now you might be thinking, which services and mobile devices support this consolidated gem called Google Wallet?

That’s where it gets interesting.

Sprint, ranked number three in wireless service providers under Verizon Wireless and AT&T, was the only recipient of the intimate debut of this new accessory.

More specifically, the Sprint Nexus S is the only device that is compatible with the Wallet, for now.

But don’t worry; this exclusivity won’t last for long.

According to technology blog Tech Crunch, the reasoning behind the small introduction of the Wallet is to ensure the technology of NFC before launching it to a broader user-base, seeing as it’s your money they are responsible for safekeeping.

With security as a high priority for the Google Wallet, the accessory is intended to be more secure than a physical credit card.

To access the Wallet, the user is required to enter a PIN code before accessing any card information, which would inhibit the stealing of such information.

This eliminates the fear of leaving behind or losing a physical credit card that hardly has any protection against fraudulent users.

As of now, the Google Wallet is only compatible with Citi MasterCard and the Google Prepaid Card, which users can use any credit card to fill and subsequently use.

Google announced Wednesday that they have licensed three other credit cards: American Express, Discover and Visa cards.

The goal is to support these cards in the near future.

Now, which retailers support the card readers for the new Google Wallet? Google hosts a page that allows users to type in his or her zip code to locate nearby retailers.

When typing in the SMU zip code of, 75205, there are four locations that are within a one-mile radius: CVS on Mockingbird, Snider Plaza,7 Eleven on Hillcrest and the Jack in the Box on Greenville..

If this Wallet phenomenon catches on, you can expect more retailers to have these particular card readers. And don’t think for a second that Apple isn’t planning its counterpart for the Google Wallet.

For now, it’s probably safe to say that plastic still has a couple of years left before becoming completely absorbed into the digital world.