Smartphones can literally do anything these days... At least, anything you'd expect a pocket laptop to do. But have you ever imagined a smartphone being used as a credit card? It's not only possible - but planned. Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said U.S. consumers will be able to use Google's next smartphones as a replacement for credit cards.
Schmidt announced the new Nexus phone in San Francisco at the Web 2.0 Summit, Red Orbit reported.
At a conference, Schmidt pulled a cellphone from a pocket and said, "I have here an unannounced product that I carry around with me. You will be able to take these mobile devices that will be able to do commerce. Essentially, bump for everything and eventually replace credit cards," he said.
Schmidt called the process "tap-and-pay," referring to use of a touch screen on the phone that requires tapping to make transactions."I don't think people understand how powerful these things are. This is a really good day for mobile," he said.
Google Smartphones & Android OS
Android, a cross platform OS for smartphones was released in 2008. Android is an open source platform backed by Google, along with major hardware and software developers (such as Intel, HTC, ARM, Motorola and Samsung, to name a few), that form the Open Handset Alliance. The first phone to use the Android OS was the HTC Dream, branded for distribution by T-Mobile as the G1. The software suite included on the phone consists of integration with Google's proprietary applications, such as Maps, Calendar, and Gmail, and a full HTML web browser. Third-party apps are available via the Android Market, including both free and paid apps.
