Google announces NFC-based Android Beam for sharing between phones (video)

Google's already embraced NFC for mobile payments, and it's now ready to do some sharing as well. That comes in the form of the new Android Beam feature for Ice Cream Sandwich, which the company just announced at its joint event with Samsung in Hong Kong. Much like HP's ill-fated Touch-to-share functionality, it will let you simply tap two NFC-enabled devices together to share a piece of information. That will work with a range of apps and services in Android, including YouTube videos, contact information, maps, web pages, and even links to apps in the Android Market. What's more, Google also announced that the SDK is available for download today -- get it at the source link below.

Update: We've now added a video of the cool demo after the break. You're welcome.