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Near Field Communication and all contactless technology

Google has unveiled its Galaxy Nexus, its much-anticipated follow-up to the Nexus S, which the Web giant is touting as supporting NFC-based content-sharing functionality called "Android Beam." The feature is part of the latest version of Google’s Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich.

Google is ramping up the promotion of its Google Wallet, announcing that eight retail chains accept both payments and coupons or rewards with a single tap of their Nexus S 4G NFC phones.

Another Google Wallet retail partner has announced it will equip its point-of-sale terminals to accept contactless payment, with the small Peet’s Coffee & Tea chain planning to take MasterCard PayPass at all its locations by the end of this month.

The giant Subway sandwich shop chain has said it will accept contactless payment at more than 7,000 locations in the United States, as it gears up to support the Google Wallet.

U.S. office supply chain OfficeMax has announced that more than 100 of its nearly 1,000 stores are equipped to accept not only payment but also coupons and the chain's loyalty program from the Google Wallet.

U.S. mobile carrier Sprint plans to make NFC a major focus at its 11^th annual developers' conference, to be held Nov. 2 to 4 in Silicon Valley–part of a big push the telco is making to roll out the technology.

Visa, American Express and Discover Financial Services have agreed to work with Google to enable consumers to put their payment applications into future versions of the Google Wallet, which the Web giant launched today.

Google’s acquisition of Motorola's mobile phone business would boost the roll out of phones supporting NFC and the Google Wallet, though not by a huge amount and not in the short run, say observers.

NXP Semiconductors' sharply lower forecast for NFC phone shipments for 2011 comes as little surprise to many, who point to delays in handset shipments and failure by many mobile operators to firm up their NFC business plans.

Citigroup’s Dickson Chu, who is leading Citi’s participation in the Google Wallet, says the bank understands its role in the coming era of mobile commerce.