google phone
 

Breaking: Google Set to Announce gPhone Plans
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal tomorrow, it would appear that Google is ready to announce their plans regarding the so-called “gPhone” within the next two weeks. The search company plans to announce that it will produce handsets along with Taiwan’s HTC Corp and LG Electronics, according to the Journal’s “well placed insiders.”

The Journal reports that the release date on the device will be mid-2008. While Google does not officially have any deals with carriers, they are apparently getting the most traction with T-Mobile USA, Orange (France), and 3 (UK). As previously rumored, the phones would come with an “open” Google operating system, and many popular Google applications already installed, including Maps, YouTube, and Gmail. By making the OS open source, the company would enable developers to build applications specifically for the mobile environment, the same way they have done with most of their Web services. Google would monetize the gPhone primarily through advertisements.

I have a call in to my inside Google source (whom The Register dubbed somewhere along the way “Deep Throat”), but he hasn’t returned any messages, and of course official sources have consistently returned the “no comment or speculation on industry rumor” line. I spoke to Deep Throat last week, and the details of what the Journal is saying is consistent with what he’s told me several times in terms of what the gPhone aims to be, although the feeling was from my friend that the release date might be getting pushed out further.

Re: google phone
 

Wasn't the gphone supposed to be step 5 of 5 for the internet tablet?

Re: google phone
 

It will be interesting to see how well Google handle hardware manufacturing and software production (this device has to have an OS, right?). Bear in mind that it took Microsoft a few attempts to get its hardware right.

Will they position themselves in a niche, like Apple? Or just try and compete against Nokia and Motorola? Personally I think they'll produce a kind of communist everyman's phone -- designed to be cheap, useful and ubiquitous. The intention will be for all Americans to carry one. After all, the phone is intended to support their search/data mining core business, and you can't do that unless you have widespread coverage.

Re: google phone
 

There is no breaking news.
Wimax cell phones by Samsung already enable city-wide free VoIP calls.
Do you need anything more ?
Free Skype mobile phone is already on a market.

Darius

Re: google phone
 

Of course it's breaking news. Just a few days ago Google was disavowing a hardware offering.

Re: google phone
 

It's almost certainly not an OS offering either. Google does software: apps and apis. They don't even do platforms. They're certainly not going to do consumer operating systems or hardware. Not for someone else's network. Not now. (I wouldn't rule out a reference device should they make a move on the 700mhz spectrum.)

My guess is that all this hoopla is over a bundle of mobile google apps, not unlike what they already offer to select partners, along with a mobile ad-streaming API that the phone makers can even use in their own apps if they want.

That sort of offering would make sense.
Everything else being bandied about sounds a bit nutty.

Re: google phone
 

I'm guessing it will just be "google software/apps". not an actual phone.

Re: google phone
 

The essence of it is the right idea for the future: why should we continue paying our cell carriers so much money, if we can use ubiquitous Wifi (or a similarly open and virtually free way of connecting) and Skype (or a similar program) to place calls on our N810 (or similar devices), instead of using overpriced cellphones with overpriced calling plans? What I don't like is the idea that Google could be at the center of that new environment, because they indeed have a horrible record when it comes to respecting your privacy:

Hopefully the first application made is something that screws with Google's data-gathering and profile-building goals, just like G-Zapper (kills the Google cookie) and Customizegoogle (the Firefox extension). :D

Re: google phone
 

I'd guess that it will be an OS offering... It's really what all the Google Apps are really heading towards: applications. But you know, it just might even be running them on the local device. At least to me it would sound a logical strategy for Google, and explain a lot of the acquisitions and expansions they've recently made.

But we'll see. It'll be interesting, that's for sure. :)

Re: google phone
 

I suspect hardware is involved. I can't see Google caring about spectrum (which they are now) otherwise.

Re: google phone
 

If they follow Apple's example, they'll first work with mobile phone companies to integrate their software/services and, once they've learned from that, release their own hardware.

Re: google phone
 

But Apple did both simultaneously.