Google Plan Payment System using Mobile Phones

Google are making plans to launch a mobile payment service that will allow people to make payments at real-world retailers using nothing more than a mobile phone. This technology is based on near-field communication (NFC), and it is likely to make a big splash in 2011.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said this about NFC technology: "You'll be able to walk in a store and do commerce. You'd bump for everything and eventually replace credit cards."

One of the phones that already has NFC technology is the Nexux S, a Samsung smartphone that runs on the Android operating system. Android are definitely investing strongly in this vision, with Android 2.3 - or Gingerbread - having a number of NFC specific features. NFC tags are also being built-in to Google Places.

Google are hoping that NFC will finally have its breakthrough year in 2011, and that consumers all over the world will be making payments with a swish of their Android phones by this time next year.
Back