NFC payments using smartphones: an epidemic?

[diogen]

In theory this started a long time ago
Nokia 6216 Classic packs NFC for contactless payments -- Engadget
but in practice it was slow and boring: the second Google phone got a chip supporting NFC.
Samsung Nexus S utilizing NXP's PN544 NFC chip -- Engadget

This got its share of news coverage since iPhone doesn't have one (and rumor has it, won't 'til next year)
iPhone 5 won't have NFC, say insiders at UK carriers -- Engadget

The latest OS to jump on the NFC bandwagon is WP7, reportedly getting NFC support this year
Windows Phone 7 getting NFC payments in next update? -- Engadget

In the meantime, Google is reportedly in cahoots with MasterCard and Citigroup to run a full scale test and paying for all the hardware to start with
WSJ: Google teams with MasterCard and Citigroup for NFC payments, also files patent app -- Engadget

Having read all these articles over again, I can't catch the source of excitement...

Diogen.

 

[Foxbat]

I hope NFC really emphasizes the "N". RFID tags are supposed to have a range of under a foot, yet a few years ago at one of the Hacking conferences someone managed to read a tag from over thirty feet away.

With NFC, do you need to press a button or somehow acknowledge that you accept the payment?