An application now available in Android phones would allow bank depositors to make limited financial transactions via their phones, email or Facebook. However, the features exclude wireless payments using the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) announced the availability of the Kaching mobile payment app on Friday. However, the bank clarified that the key feature of Kaching in iPhones is not available to Android users even if the different mobile phone models of Samsung and HTC include an NFC chip.

While the iPhone 4 and 4S have built-in NFC chips, users of these phones have to use a compatible iCarte case to avail of the contact-less payments feature.

Andy Lark, chief marketing and online officer of CBA, explained that the contact-less feature of the Androids could not be used despite the devices having NFC chips to only the radio portion being activated, not the secure element.

He added that no one had released the activated secure element yet and Google has not yet provided a timeline for its release. Mr Lark said that as soon as Google allows it, CBA wants to use that NFC capability on Android phones. Smartphone owners would only need a software update instead of an extra hardware to use that feature.

CBA clients who would use the Kaching for Android could make peer-to-peer payments using their mobile smartphones, email and Facebook by linking the phone address book, email address and Facebook ID. They could also make similar payments even to non-CBA clients by directing the users to a secure, external site that collects payments.

Also available to users are other banking transactions such as checking of account balances, topping up of credit and debit cards linked to their account, paying bills via the BPAY service and locating nearby ATMs.

Smarphone users need Android version 2.3 or higher versions to run the Kaching application. The CBA Web site lists the Samsung and HTC phone models which have those Android versions. These are the Samsung Galaxy S, S II, S III, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Gio and Galaxy W, and HTC Desire HD, One X, Sensation and Incredible S.

CBA said the Kaching app would soon be available progressively on other Android phones. But Mr Lark said that CBA does not have plans yet to include RIM's BlackBerry and Windows phones in the list due to insufficient consumer demand from users of those devices.

Besides making payments using smartphone, NFC has other functions, according to Tapit, the developer of the technology.

"In layman terms you get a phone out of the box, and you can tap things with it for payment; or, in our case, to get content and information. It's like smart cards or contactless payment cards around the world, except that technology is in your phone," Tapit Chief Executive Officer Jamie Conynham told CNET.

A phone with NFC generates an electromagnetic field which induces a current in the communicating device such as NFC tags of payment consoles when the two are brought near each other which allows information to pass between the two chips.

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