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.

It seem that Google are not alone in their development of NFC technology, as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have also announced plans to work on similar services in 2011.  These systems may use PayPal accounts as well as traditional bank accounts, and eBay are said to be working on their own system where phones could beam PayPal account information directly.