Google CEO Eric Schmidt has indicated that the coming “Gingerbread” Android release will have integrated Near Field Communication (NFC), which will allow for interaction with hardware devices, and may well lead to a revolution in proximity payment processing via mobile phones, and a new boom of mobile payment startup companies. Schmidt made his comments during the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco earlier today.

Using “tap and pay,” says Schmidt, the theory is that you will be able to walk into stores and do commerce, and eventually replace credit cards.

“Ultimately the technology is personal, secure, and an aggregating technology,” according to Schmidt. Google would expect to partner with payment processors, and the credit card industry believes the losses will be a lot less than with standard credit cards, he added.

View the full interview here: