New Google smartphone lets you pay for things without cash

 

Google to launch Nexus S mobile with revolutionary wireless ‘Tap and Pay’ feature later this month.

A smartphone that lets you pay for things simply by tapping it against an electronic reader will be released by Google on 20 December.

The Google Nexus S smartphone’s “Tap and Pay” feature will let you pay for everything from takeaway coffee to your weekly shop, by swiping the device over a special electronic reader.

Nexus S will be free on contracts costing at least £35 per month. It’s still unknown which mobile networks will sell the smartphone, however Carphone Warehouse has been confirmed as a retailer.

JK Shin, president of Samsung mobile phones - the phone’s manufacturer - said Nexus S can even “read information off of everyday objects like stickers and posters that are embedded with NFC chips.”

Near Field Communication (NFC) is the chip that makes the Google smartphone’s Tap and Pay feature possible, ensuring that information is securely passed between smartphone and electronic reader.

NFC is also used by London’s Oyster cards and the Barclaycard OnePulse cash card.

Simon Piper, business development manager at Mobilechoices.co.uk said: “Although Google hasn’t announced which shops will support Tap and Pay, the service should prove popular for low-cost purchases because it’s so convenient.”

The Nexus S - which supersedes the Google Nexus One - is also the world’s first smartphone to have a curved 4in display.

Other Nexus S features include:

• Version 2.3 (“Gingerbread”) of Google’s Android operating system
• A 5Mp camera
• 16GB of internal storage space.

Compare the best Google Nexus S deals.

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