NFC

Near field communications, NFC, is steadily picking up traction.
By 2014, NFC is predicted to account for as much as a third of the $1.13 trillion global mobile payment market.

NFC Capabilities.
The technology allows users to pay for something by simply swiping their mobile phones across a sensor.
NFC can keep track of gift cards, ticketing balances, personal information and consumer preferences.
And more...There are hundreds of uses with NFC!

Who is joining the NFC bandwagon?
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have recently teamed up for Iris, a NFC payment system trial.
Google included NFC technology on its latest version of the Android, the Gingerbread.

Google and NFC.
Google is reportedly using NFC technology for a new payment and advertising system.  As quoted by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, NFC will "eventually replace credit cards."  Through Google, retailers will be able to use data obtained by NFC technology to send targeted ads to users, as well as offer discounts to nearby mobile users.

What about Apple?
It is rumored that Apple will also use NFC technology to enable iPhones to function as a secure mobile user account for use of any Mac, in addition to target ads and make mobile payments.