Hot Gphone news

This comes from a highly reliable source:

• 1. The Gphone will be announced sometime between 9/27 and 10/5.
• 2. Google has formed a consortium of about 30 companies to create it. The consortium includes chip makers, OEM manufacturers, software providers, and carriers. The Gphone will be open source, using the Apache license. The phone will in fact not be a product — it’s really a reference design.

• 3. This reference design will be an unlocked, neutral environment. It’ll be GSM everywhere except Japan, where it will be TDMA.
• 4. While the Gphone is open, the secret sauce is a heavy server-side component that will be handled solely by Google’s data centers. So the phone will be open while some services rely on the server side, which you’ll pay for.
• 5. One of Nokia, Samsung, or Moto is in the consortium. The tipster didn’t know which one.
• 6. The reference phone will role out simultaneously in the US, Japan, China, and Europe. They have a carrier ready to go in every region.
• 7. The thrust of the reference phone is that it is “the anti-iPhone”. It will be an inexpensive, open design, vs. Apple’s closed, expensive design.”

Audio & Multimedia
Business
Communications
Desktop
Development
Education
Games & Entertainment
Graphic Apps
Home & Hobby
Network & Internet
Security & Privacy
Servers
System Utilities
Web Development

Google?s Gphone Draws a Crowd

Businessweek.com mention the name Google (Gphone) in cell-phone software circles these days and you’re likely to get a lot of blank stares and awkward silence. It’s not that these Silicon Valley startups have nothing to say about the world’s largest Web search engine. The problem is, they can’t. Many mobile-software developers in the Bay Area and beyond are hard at work cobbling together services and tools they hope will be packaged with a wireless operating system under wraps at Googleplex—and they’ve been sworn to secrecy.

Word’s getting out. Among the companies jockeying for a place on Google’s platform, BusinessWeek.com has learned, are Plusmo, a Santa Clara (Calif.) company that pulls together blogs and news items and sends them to cell phones, and Nuance Communications (NUAN), a Burlington (Mass.) maker of speech-recognition software used in mobile directory assistance services. Plusmo is owned by Reify Software, and its services are already available on phones made by Motorola (MOT), Research In Motion (RIM), and devices that use the Microsoft (MSFT) mobile operating system. Nuance technology, on devices such as Palm’s (PALM) Treo 755p, lets users dial, dictate, and search using voice commands. Neither company would comment for this story.

Code Unlocked

Another startup said to be working with Google is 3Jam, a software maker in Menlo Park, Calif., that lets users send text messages to groups of friends. Representatives of 3Jam declined to comment.

Google also is mum on its plans, but the ongoing work with developers may give further evidence the company is moving ahead with a platform, possibly named gPhone, that brings together a range of services—from news to instant messaging to social-networking features to Web browsing—for mobile phones. “If they are evangelizing to mobile developers, they probably have a product coming soon,” says Toni Schneider, chief executive of Web publisher Automattic, who created Yahoo!’s (YHOO) developer program. For developers, the Google platform could open a wide range of opportunities, including changing the way programmers use and build Google applications for mobile devices. And the interplay between Google and software developers is likely to leave an indelible mark on how wireless services are built and distributed—and who gets to share in the spoils.

Google’s platform is expected to consist of an operating system, mobile versions of Google’s existing software, and built-in tools that make it easier for developers to dive in. Google is expected to open up much of its gPhone programming code, known in industry parlance as the application programming interface (API), enabling mobile developers to easily integrate Google’s applications with their own software and to distribute those applications to all users of the gPhone platform (BusinessWeek.com, 9/6/07), whatever phone model or carrier they happen to use.

Cooler Apps

The idea of unlocking software code to outside developers is gathering currency across the tech landscape. Case in point: Thousands of companies have embedded Google Maps into their Web sites to help customers and clients find offices. At the same time, Google offers a range of third-party applications, such as the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, on its customizable home page iGoogle.

Still, that same cross-pollination has yet to take off in wireless circles, where carriers and handset makers control which applications are available to users. Earlier this year, Google had to strike a special agreement with handset manufacturer LG to get its YouTube video application onto an upcoming mobile device. Carrier AT&T (T) and handset maker Apple (AAPL) handpicked the Google applications—Google Maps, search, and YouTube—that would be available on the iPhone, introduced in June.

The relatively closed system gives service providers and cell-phone manufacturers tight control over what users get—and pay for—on their handsets, but it keeps the makers of cool applications on the sidelines. On a typical smartphone running the Symbian operating system, fewer than 40% of the applications came from third-party developers, according to Symbian data.

Not only would the Google model mean more cool new apps and open sales avenues for developers, but it’s also likely to influence how the industry deals with other mobile operating systems. Says Thomas Howe, head of communications software consultancy the Thomas Howe Co.: “The world will break open.”

More Ad Revenue

Since talk of the gPhone emerged, developers whisper that other companies, including Apple, may open their mobile-software platforms to programmers. “Mobile platforms will become very common in the next year,” believes developer Craig Hockenberry. “We are on the cusp of a major shift in mobile technology.”

Part of that shift will involve greater organization on the part of open-source developers creating applications in mobile Linux, which comes in many different flavors. “There are a lot of fragmented initiatives,” says Jerry Panagrossi, vice-president of U.S. operations at Symbian. “A developer has to overhaul their code for every application they target.” By designing for gPhone’s particular flavor of Linux, open-source developers may be able to present a unified front—and reduce development costs. Consultancy ABI Research forecasts that Linux will be the fastest-growing smartphone operating system in the next five years. “Google has a lot of muscle to distribute things and to get [developers] excited,” says Automattic’s Schneider.

Part of that excitement stems from the possibility for developers to tap a new revenue source: mobile advertising, instead of user subscription fees. Developers may be able to share in revenues from ads displayed in the applications. Three weeks ago, Handmark, which sells applications and content for personal digital assistants, began displaying banner and search ads in its applications. It’s seeing a 9% click-through rate on its display ads and a 10% conversion rate on users who use the click-to-call service from its local paid-search feature. By contrast, PC Web banner ads often generate click-through rates of less than 1%.

“Openness would pay off for everybody,” says Mike Phillips, co-founder of vlingo, a maker of software that lets users type using voice. Google’s lips are sealed, but the buzz among mobile developers is well under way. Says John SanGiovanni, co-founder of ZenZui, a maker of tools used by mobile-widget makers. “We certainly hope Google will give us an honest-to-goodness mobile platform, so that we can party on it.”

Video news including information about Gphone

Funny Gphone commercial

Funny Gphone commercial Enjoy

New Gphone pictures added

Some new Gphone (fake?) pictures added. Enjoy

Gphone is coming, again

Some great news for Gphone. DigiTimes has information that Google will definitely launch its own-brand handset (Gphone) but has yet to finalize the handset’s specifications, OS, production contractor and operating partners, according to sources at Taiwan handset makers.

Although market rumors previously stated that Google is likely to use an EDGE solution developed by Texas Instruments (TI) for its planned handset, recent developments indicate that Google is also evaluating the possibility of launching a 3G handset initially.

TI’s handset chipsets will find their way into the Google phone should the company decide to roll out an EDGE-compliant handset, but Qualcomm could turn out to be the winner if Google decides to bet on a 3G model, the sources noted.

However, the choice of a 3G platform might force Google to postpone the launch of the so-called Gphone to the first half of 2008 instead of the latter half of this year as expected due to the change of platform and problems related to licensing of patented technologies, the sources indicated.

High Tech Computer (HTC), meanwhile, is being marked as the manufacturing contractor for the Gphone due to the company’s expertise in ODM and brand business and its mutual cooperation with a number of telecom carriers worldwide, said the sources.

Google may also try to launch a handset running on a self-developed OS, to compete with Windows Mobile and Symbian platforms, the sources speculated

So is Google planning a Gphone?

Google is unlikely to launch a 'Gphone' mobile device because it doesn't fit in with its business model, according to industry watchers.

The rumour mill went into overdrive after it was revealed Google had submitted a patent in the US for a mobile payment system - dubbed 'GPay'.

But Vincent Poulbere, principal analyst at Ovum, warned against making assumptions about a direct link between the two. "I do not see a direct relationship between mobile payment and the Google phone. For me there is no link between GPhone and GPay," he told silicon.com.

Google is really a platform company.

Poulbere said the mobile payment patent submission is more likely to be an extension of Google's online payment service, Google Checkout, than a mobile phone.

He added: "I think it's a tough move for Google to go into the device market."

Thomas Husson, analyst at JupiterResearch, agreed. "I don't think the two issues [GPay and GPhone] are directly related," he said.

Husson said because Google is essentially an advertising company, the extent to which a mobile phone would fit into this business model is questionable. "[Google's] interest today is to have its applications embedded on as many phones as possible. Google is really a platform company," he said.

But he suggested "it wouldn't be much of a surprise" if a Google phone emerged, particularly as the company has expressed interest in acquiring radio spectrum in the US which could be used for a mobile network.

In a statement regarding the 'Gpay' mobile payment patent, Google said: "We file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees come up with. Some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patent applications."

Google declined to comment on the speculation around the Gphone.

Is Google creating a Gphone?

The mobile industry likes nothing more than a good piece of gossip. One particularly juicy nugget of whisper that has refused to die is the Google phone, a piece of mobile kit the search giant is supposed to be working on.

Rumour hounds have been hard at it in recent weeks. Among the evidence used to back up the theory are patents the company has filed on predictive mobile location-based search tech; the blog of one venture capitalist, saying he has been told by sources of a BlackBerry-like gadget in the offing that may be Google-made or run a Google OS; and The Observer's recent report of a partnership struck between operator Orange and Google with a view to producing a branded device made by HTC.

I think it's more something nice to have, a box to tick rather than for a specific business reason. It would be an exercise in branding.

Google, of course, has made no public statement about moving into mobile hardware - aside from 'no comment' - but it certainly has seemed to be upping its activity in the area. It has signed deals with Vodafone to offer Google Maps and YouTube on mobile, worked on mobile advertising, gotten involved with far eastern operators and put its software on a number of devices, not least Nokia's Linux tablet range.

Every web giant worth its salt from MySpace to Yahoo! is getting in on the mobile act but are Google's ambitions running a little deeper?

Google has made no secret of its ambitions in the wireless world, telling journalists at the opening of its London GooglePlex that it intended to use Europe's mobile knowledge to make more of an impact in the space.

It's also gone on to strike deals across the world with operators such as Vodafone in the UK and KDDI in Japan which see Google services bundled onto devices. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has even said mobile subscriptions should be given away for free if users are willing to accept ads on their phones - a statement some believe is a sign of the search giant's attempt to capitalise on its search success with a mobile handset.

Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi told silicon.com a handset from Google shouldn't be discounted but added it isn't immediately obvious where the value would be for the Mountain View, California company.

Milanesi said: "Google has so many relationships with different carriers - what more would a phone do for them? What would the difference be?

"I think it's more something nice to have, a box to tick rather than for a specific business reason. It would be an exercise in branding."

Andrew Brown, programme manager of European mobile computing and mobile devices at analyst IDC, believes Google is unlikely to release its own mobile hardware. Instead, the search company is more likely to concentrate on content deals such as those announced last month and tighter integration with open platforms, such as S60 which runs on Symbian devices.

He said: "They've got the richest experience there. People will be knocking on their door anyway, without all this unnecessary R&D spend."

Ben Wood of Collins Consulting agreed a Google mobile does not sound likely. "Making a handset is really, really hard and making one profitably is also tough. I'm struggling to see why at this juncture Google would make a handset. It would be better to get consumers more and more involved with the Google brand on a mobile."

The idea that Google would partner with HTC for the device itself has raised eyebrows. HTC is almost synonymous with Windows Mobile devices, while Google has often shown itself to be more partial to open source - by using Linux servers to power its search, for instance. HTC is also attempting to move away from the OEM model - where its handsets bear the marque of another company - and build its own brand.

Commentators have questioned why Google would create an own-brand handset, which would be likely to end up in the hands of customers of only a few mobile carriers, as opposed to trying to get Google links on all mobiles. Operators have by and large abandoned the walled garden approach for content in favour of a PC-like open model, which favours Google. The question becomes especially pertinent given mobile is set to overtake the desktop as consumers' favoured way of getting on the web.

That's not to say Google couldn't yet make some, as yet undreamed of overtures in mobile.

IDC's Brown added the continuing diversification of mobile hardware types might yet prompt such a move from the search company. "There's the Nokia 6110, a plethora of navigation devices starting to emerge, Linux tablets, different types [of mobile hardware] so I would never completely rule it out - we are often surprised," he said.

Collins Consulting's Wood also suggested if Google were to get into the device game, it would be more likely to concentrate on the wi-fi side of things - perhaps a single-mode VoIP phone optimised for Google services such as Gmail. "When you think about areas like San Francisco where they have metropolitan wi-fi, it starts to make more sense," he said.

More gPhone rumours emerge

Bản tóm tắt này không có sẵn. Vui lòng nhấp vào đây để xem bài đăng.

Google quashes mobile phone talk

The search giant said it was more logical to form partnerships with existing handset makers instead.

Google's South-East Asia managing director of sales and operations, Richard Kimber, yesterday echoed statements made by Google's chief internet evangelist, Vinton Cerf, that building hardware would be a dramatic shift in the company's business model.

"At this point in time, we are very focused on the software, not the phone," The Australian Financial Review today quoted Kimber as saying during his speech at the Search Engine Room conference in Sydney.

Kimber said Google was keen on porting its search and other technologies to mobile devices, but it was not interested in entering the crowded handset market, as Apple has recently done with its iPhone.

This is highlighted by recent deals Google has made with manufacturers such as Samsung, resulting in its search software coming preloaded on certain handsets.

Extending Google's search technology to mobile phones would allow it to serve advertising to a far wider audience - particularly those in developing countries who do not have access to a computer.

Kimber said mobile ads posed unique challenges but described them as being "extremely effective".

Google has poured cold water on claims it is developing a mobile phone. In a telephone interview earlier this month, Dr Cerf, who is credited with being one of the founders of the internet, said "becoming an equipment manufacturer is pretty far from our business model".

"On the other hand, we're very interested in the platforms that other people are building. We are quite eager to be part of the mobile revolution."

A Google Australia spokesman said the company was focused on developing partnerships with existing industry players but did not confirm or deny that Google was developing a handset.

"Mobile is an important area for Google and we remain focused on creating applications and establishing and growing partnerships with industry leaders to develop innovative services for users worldwide," he said.

Google's latest comments are at odds with the slew of recent reports that suggested it was shopping a phone design to potential mobile phone manufacturing partners in Asia.

In a note to clients, sighted by Reuters, London-based phone analyst Richard Windsor wrote: "Google has come out of the closet at the CeBIT trade fair admitting that it is working on a mobile phone of its own.

"This is not going to be a high-end device but a mass-market device aimed at bringing Google to users who don't have a PC."

A US venture capitalist, Simeon Simeonov, wrote in a blog post earlier this month that there was "a team of about 100 people at Google working on the Google Phone".

A photo purporting to be a prototype of a rumoured Google phone published on the Engadget blog.
Photo: Courtesy Engadget

Simeonov said his "inside source close to the company" described the device as being a "BlackBerry-like, slick device". He added a number of recent mobile-related acquisitions made by Google backed up the rumours.

Samsung was widely rumoured to be Google's manufacturing partner; a photo published on the Engadget blog, which purported to be a prototype, showed a sparse touchscreen design similar to the iPhone.

But all of these rumours now appear to be quashed, bringing back memories from a year ago when Google was said to be building its own line of computers. Those reports were soon proved false, and the product Google was working on turned out to be a free software pack

LG locates Google phone in Europe

It's here, it's the Google phone. Yes, LG's KU-580 handset, which incorporates Google Search, Google Mail and Google Maps - watch out, iPhone - has come to Europe.

LG's KU-580: Google'n'Chocolate

The device sports a red-on-black color scheme not unlike LG's popular Chocolate phone, but it's larger, sporting a 2in widescreen LCD, the better to view Google's web properties, accessed through a fast 3G connection.

The KU-580 has an FM radio and an MP3 player - controlled with dedicated playback keys - along with Bluetooth stereo and 3D sound enhancement. LG even said it has a song-writing app for budding musos. There's a two-megapixel camera on the back and a smaller snapper on the front for video calls.

LG's KU-580: 3G-speed searching

The Google phone is now available in Italy and France, LG indicated, with Germany and other European countries to follow shortly. From the pics, the KU-580 is going to be available on the Vodafone network.

Google phone rumors shot down -- for the moment

We were afraid the fun couldn't last long, and indeed a Google bossman has come forward in an attempt to quell rumors of a Google phone. Richard Kimber, Google's South-East Asia managing director of sales and operations, says that Google is obviously investing in the software side of things, but that it has no interest in entertering the crowded handset market. "At this point in time, we are very focused on the software, not the phone." This echoes Vint Cerf's statments from earlier this month, who said "becoming an equipment manufacturer is pretty far from our business model." Of course, while both of these guys are confirming that mobile software, services and ads are in the works, neither one has come straight out and denied an actual device, or taken steps to contradict Isabel Aguilera's statements about a low-end phone in the works -- but it's pretty clear that these guys are at least implying we won't be seeing such a device for a while yet.

New Google Phone rumors get real specific

As any avid Engadget reader knows, the persistent Google Phone rumor -- begun so many eons ago (er, last year) -- has been on the fast track as of late, with varying reports coming in concerning specific information such as launch date, OS, and the existence of prototypes. Well, now it looks like we've got another handful of data to add to the veritable mini-mountain of specs / info we've ascertained about the presently-vaporous device. According to "reliable sources," specific aspects of the GPhone are coming to light -- the first suggesting that the phone will run on a Linux variant (which is nothing new), and will be Java Virtual Machine-capable. Additionally, the OS of the phone will be Java-based (as well as the all phone apps itself), and performance is said to be "very responsive." The browser for the phone will be new (though some say it's based on the WebKit core, which Safari is built atop) and will tout "pan-and-browse" capabilities. Finally, the word is that HTC is manufacturing the handsets, and instead of a single form-factor for the prototype, there are a variety of phones, all with QWERTY keyboards (one article suggests the phone will be "simpler" and less "flashy" than the iPhone, with less screen space, and a BlackBerry / Treo form-factor). Certainly a lot of information, though -- just as certainly -- speculation and rumor right now, and if the past year has taught any lesson, it's to proceed with extreme skepticism.

Survey gives more Google phone clues?

Yes, this would be pretty easy to fake -- and even if it's real, it's just a survey, which means it's sorta fake by design -- but a questionnaire allegedly received by a Mobileburn forum member hints at specs and a rather fascinating concept design for Google's probably-in-the-works cellphone. Everything seems believable enough, though it seems like they flip-open QWERTY keypad could be a bit tricky to access from the right side thanks to the permanently-affixed nav buttons; features are said to include 3G data, WiFi, and a 2 megapixel camera, not to mention a rather striking Samsung-penned chassis. Typical test-marketing survey mumbo jumbo suggests that the phone would offer "all the exciting Google services from the PC" and -- thanks largely to targeted advertising -- affordable (as it's been suggested) flat-rate data service and a three-month trial. Could it be that Apple's going to see a legitimate competitor in the "pretty, giant-screened cellphone with tight Google integration" market right out of the gate (and with 3G, no less)?

LG announces phones with Google, not Google phone

LG just announced their plan to pre-install Google services on "millions" of LG cellphones in North America and beyond. So the headline over at Telecoms Korea which reads, "LG to launch Google Phone in Q2" is in fact just Google software and not the magical Google phone touted by the rumor mill. At least this clarifies the comments made by Google's South-East Asia managing director when he stated that Google was "very focused on the software, not the phone." At least 10 new "LG-Google handsets" will start shipping globally in 2007, each with a preload of Google Maps, Gmail, and Blogger mobile applications. The first of these handsets are expected to hit in Q2. So yeah, it's not the Google phone we've all been expecting hoping for, but with 18 R&D projects in the Google labs, we don't expect this to be the final word on the subject.

More details emerge on the mythical Google phone?

Now that the iPhone has moved from rumor limbo into the land of the living (at least we think so -- how many people have actually touched one?), we obviously need another mythical mobile to drool over and speculate about -- and the natural candidate is, of course, the so-called Google phone. While the big G has been making inroads on your handset with mobile versions of its search, email, and mapping software for some time, there has been growing speculation that the company is working on its own hardware -- speculation that only intensified when we published that pic of a supposed Google / Samsung collaboration called the Switch (pictured above, as a refresher). Well the latest juicy G-phone morsels to hit our plate come courtesy of Simeon Simeonov (no relation to the deceased Bulgarian soccer player, we think) and his HighContrast blog, whose always-reliable "inside source" broke down some of the anticipated specs. According to Simeonov's tipster, we can expect a "Blackberry-like, slick device" (QWERTY?) running Java on a C++ core with perhaps a Linux bootstrap. For graphics, Google is said to be leveraging the 2005 purchase of little known company name Skia that developed a 2D engine capable of rendering "state-of-the-art" images on low-power devices. Finally, Google is said to be offering carriers a deal wherein the search giant will sell and market the phone online, relying on the carriers for their networks only and subsequently driving down their costs. Combined with Google's tradition of offering almost everything for free, there's a good chance that you'll be able to pick up your G-phone for much less than your precious iPhone -- although lets hope the tradeoff isn't being forced to listen to ads every time we want to make a damn call.

Google getting more serious about the Gphone?

Rumors about about a possible Google phone have run so hot and cold recently that it's hard to keep up, but AppleInsider is reporting that the big G is making a big push in developing their own handset. AI says that investment guidance firm Anian has issued a report quoting a development budget in the "hundreds of millions" of dollars and that HTC is being tapped to build a Linux-based Gphone to be launched on T-Mobile in the US in early 2008, with Orange getting the exclusive in France and other countries. Anian also says Google has been in talks with Verizon and AT&T, and that Verizon has already shot the big G down -- much like it did with Apple and the iPhone. As always, rumors are just rumors, so we'll wait and see, but it's hard to ignore the amount of buzz that the Gphone's been getting.

Google is working on a mobile OS, and it's due out shortly

an it be true? Is the Googlephone nigh at hand? Not that we haven't been hearing this time after time (after time after time, etc.), but we've actually got some hot news from a number of very trustworthy sources about Google's plans for the mobile space. Namely, Google's mobile device platform is well on its way, and will be announced in the very near future.

We understand that the "Gphone OS" (our name for it, not theirs) began development after Google's very quiet 2005 acquisition of mobile software company Android, started by Danger cofounder and former-prez / CEO Andy Rubin. At Google, Andy's team has developed a Linux-based mobile device OS (no surprise) which they're currently shopping around to handset makers and carriers on the premise of providing a flexible, customizable system -- with really great Google integration, of course.

As for the timeframe on this thing, we keep hearing Google will announce its mobile plans some time post-Labor Day (September 3rd); from what we've heard Google isn't necessarily working on hardware of its own, but is definitely working with OEMs and ODMs to get them to put the Gphone OS on upcoming devices. Think of it more in terms of Windows Mobile or Palm OS (in the early days) -- Google wants to supply the platform, but we don't think they want to sell hardware. Still, don't entirely rule out the idea. Andy Rubin knows how to make a device and put it in peoples' hands, so nothing is impossible on the hardware side. Either way, we're totally stoked to peep the software, we've been waiting for the Googlephone for years on years.

Still, we can't help wondering what El Jobso thinks about all this. Apple has been so buddy-buddy with Google lately, especially on the iPhone -- and now Apple's mobile team is on the verge of outright competition with one of its closest partners. We know that's how the industry works, but it's got to sting a little, you know?

Google Talk VoIP phone in development... again?

One can't help but wonder if the recent decisions regarding the FCC's 700MHz frequency auction aren't having an effect on Google's desire to bring a WiFi phone to market as quickly as possible. What better way to use the new "open" frequency than to put Google Talk on a device and get it into the hands of customers about to get "choices" for what they're using to ride the celestial-wavelengths? According to sources, a Taiwanese ODM called Wistron NeWeb has entered "design-in development" for phones with Google Talk compatibility. Of course, we've heard similar rumors before, but the company already makes Skype phones, so moving the technology to Google's implementation of VoIP would be easy as pie -- and who doesn't like pie?

Google doesn't deny GPhone rumors, has prototype ready?

We all know that when rumors start to heat up, well, it just means there's more to speculate about. Nevertheless, new reports from both the BBC and The Wall Street Journal do a fine job of getting our hopes up, as it's noted that Google refused to outrightly deny handset rumors; rather, it simply reiterated that its users and partners are saying that "they want Google search and Google applications on mobile, and it is working hard every day to deliver that." Furthermore, it's now believed that the search giant is "showing the prototype to cellphone manufacturers and network operators as it continues to hone the technical specifications." Make of that what you will, but it sounds pretty enticing over here.

Google and Orange teaming up on Googlephone?

Are Google and Orange pairing up to make our secret mobile nerd dreams come true by introducing a Googlephone? There's nothing official yet, but the Observer reports that the two companies are in talks about producing a Google-branded cellphone that would come pre-loaded with mobile versions of Google apps like Google Earth, Gmail, etc. (The phone itself would be manufactured by our old friends HTC, which implies -- but doesn't guarantee -- that this thing might run Windows Mobile.) It's not totally far-fetched; Google's been moving headlong into the mobile space for a while now. There are already handsets that come pre-loaded with Google software, and in recent months they've also offered mobile versions of Google Maps and Gmail for download. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has even waxed rhapsodic about the possibilities of free handsets subsidized by (Google) ads. Even so, releasing a Googlephone would be a HUGE step for them, since ultimately Google's goal shouldn't be to have its own phone, but rather to be on every phone, right?

Five Facts About Google Phone

Is Google (GOOG) Phone fact or fiction? Engadget says Google’s entry into mobile phone business is for real, and the company is going to announce it soon. Scott Kirsner talked to a bunch of folks over who are intimately familiar with the effort and outlined his findings in an article for The Boston Globe.

The story talks about a handful of Boston entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who have seen the phone, but are under NDA and can’t talk about it. Rich Miner, a co-founder of Android, a mobile software company he started with Andy Rubin (formerly of Danger) is based in Boston.

Google bought Android in August 2005. Later Google snapped up Reqwireless and Skia, two tiny start-ups with mobile expertise, and since then has been hiring mobile-focused folks at a pretty steady clip.

The news (or rumors) were enough to get me dialing-for-dirt over the big holiday weekend. These are the tidbits I picked up from a reliable source:

1. Google Phone is based on a mobile variant of Linux, and is able to run Java virtual machines.
2. All applications that are supposed to run on the Google Phone are java apps. The OS has ability to run multimedia files, including video clips.
3. The user interface is similar to a UI typical of mobile phones, and the image (with red background) floating around isn’t representative of the Google Phone UI. The entire UI is said to be done in Java and is very responsive. The UI, of course has a “search box.”
4. There is a special browser which has pan-and-browse features that are common to modern browsers such as browsers for iPhone and Symbian phones. The entire browser is apparently written in Java. But then others have told us that the browser is based on the WebKit core, the same engine in Safari and in iPhone, and Google has been making optimizations to speed it up. This is one aspect of the Google Phone I am not sure about.
5. Initially there was one prototype, but over past few months Google has the mobile OS running on 3-to-5 devices, most of them likely made by HTC, a mobile phone maker, and all have Qwerty apps. The model that folks have seen is very similar to the T-Mobile Dash. Around 3GSM, there were rumors that Google, Orange and HTC were working together on mobile devices.

These tiny-bits of information are pretty close to what Simeon Simenov, a VC with Polaris Venture Partners had very clearly outlined on his blog eons ago. I can’t seem to find that post, so here is is an alternate link. Simenov also wrote a pretty good post on what should be an ideal mobile stack. Google is pretty close to what Simenov had outlined.

We will post more details as they come our way. I had initially thought that it could be a more viable option to the $100 PC. While that argument still remains true, I think this is a strategic move by Google to keep Windows Mobile’s growing influence in check. Microsoft has spent billions on its mobile efforts including buying companies such as Tell Me Networks.

Forget iPhone, Think Google Phone

The Observer of London is reporting that Google might be working with HTC and mobile/telecom giant Orange to build a Google Mobile Phone, which could possibly have Google software inside the device, and would be able to do many of the web tasks smartly. The device, article speculates, could go on sale in 2008. (Of course, we would all have forgotten by then… if it doesn’t happen.) Orange and Google, both declined to comment.

Their plans centre on a branded Google phone, which would probably also carry Orange’s logo. The device would not be revolutionary: manufactured by HTC, a Taiwanese firm specialising in smart phones and Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), it might have a screen similar to a video iPod. But it would have built-in Google software which would dramatically improve on the slow and cumbersome experience of surfing the web from a mobile handset.

It would be interesting to see if this comes to fruition. Google, in recent months has become increasingly aggressive about its mobile ambitions, and is pushing into the carrier space, though there have been some snags.

Google Phone, if you think about it is a reasonable speculation. Google has been aggressive in developing location based services, has amp-ed up its local search and mapping services. In addition, it has also been mobilizing its applications such as GTalk and GMail. YouTube, the video arm of Google, is beginning to embrace the mobile ecosystem.

Normally, one would not spend too much energy on this bit of news. However, presence of Andy Rubin on Google campus gives us a reason to pause.

Who is Rubin? He was one of the co-founders of Danger, the company that makes the Sidekick devices. He sold his last company, Android to Google for an undisclosed amount of money, and he has been holed up in Mountain View, California campus of Google, doing something.

No one knows what, but since Android was focusing on mobile, it is safe to assume that he just might be involved in Android. Danger, as you might know has become a multimillion dollar business based off the “compress web and take it mobile” technology developed by Rubin and others. Businessweek had reported that Android was working on a cell phone operating system.

One source familiar with the company says Android had at one point been working on a software operating system for cell phones. … In a 2003 interview with BusinessWeek, just two months before incorporating Android, Rubin said there was tremendous potential in developing smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner’s location and preferences. “If people are smart, that information starts getting aggregated into consumer products,” said Rubin.

For Orange, this could be a valuable asset in its triple play ambitions. The company owns broadband businesses across Europe, and has access to 3G networks, and is owned by France Telecom. It could use Google’s web expertise to take on its rivals, by offering web-mobile hybrid phones, and at the same time get a slice of mobile advertising revenues. I know, sounds far fetched, but not out of the real of possiblity.

Your thoughts?

Google phone just a step toward Net-advertising dominance

The rumors of Google's plans to release an Internet-optimized, BlackBerry-like device have not only created quite a buzz; they've been confirmed, at least according to some reports.

"According to Nomura phone analyst Richard Windsor, the company has confirmed the project. 'Google has come out of the closet at the CeBIT trade fair admitting that it is working on a mobile phone of its own,' he said in a note. 'This is not going to be a high-end device but a mass market device aimed at bringing Google to users who don't have a PC,'" directtraffic.org reports.

Meanwhile, engadget.com also claims to have new info about the device, which it refers to as the Google Switch. The site even includes what could be a screen image of the phones contact program.

Google corporate, however, continues to neither confirm nor deny the report.

Still, that Google will deliver a phone is a possibility, and the question remains: "Why would Google want to mess with the phone business?"

Dan Nystedt at the IDG News Service posed the question the other day, and came up with this: "The commentaries have been mostly about rumors, and they lack a good motive for such a move. Google makes software, not hardware, and rumors that it was developing a PC a few years back turned out to be wrong -- it was simply making software for PCs."

Well, I have a different perspective, with all due respect to Mr. Nystedt. Google wants to make a Google-y phone for the same reason it wants to give free WiFi to Mountain View, San Francisco, and -- as observed in a fascinating article on Daily Wireless -- perhaps the entire nation.

The Daily Wireless article lists eight signs that Google is planning to build a national wireless network. Among them (and in addition to the free WiFi in Mountain View and offer to San Fran), the article notes that: Google is investing heavily in dark fiber (dark fiber has such an ominous ring to it. I bet the Death Star was laden with that stuff); it's investing in power-line based broadband technology; and it's planting datacenters left and right.

So then: If Google is sowing the seeds for a nationwide wireless network -- perhaps even a free one -- why would it do so? The company could launch such a venture under the guise of delivering knowledge to the people, and perhaps that truly is part of the Google ambition. But it certainly wouldn't just be a charitable endeavor. Google surely realizes that the more people in the U.S. (and beyond) who get online and use Google services, the more money Google makes through advertising. And what better way to generate more Net users, AKA ad-clickers, then giving away wireless service to the masses?

Internet-ad revenue is, after all, Google's bread and butter, and the company is introducing more and more ways to deliver targeted ads aimed squarely at your cerebral cortex via your eyeballs. Do a Google search for info; get an ad. Do a Google Maps search for, say, pizza; get an ad. Check your Gmail; get an ad. Access files via Google Apps; get an ad. Hop over to YouTube (which Google bought last year); get an ad. Log in to an online game, and soon enough, I expect you'll find Google-delivered ads, because Google recently scooped up AdScape, an in-game advertising startup.

Of course, the notion of offering free Internet access, essentially paid for by advertisers, isn't a new one. You may recall that NetZero gave it a whirl back in the early days of the Internet Age. Alas, the venture was a flop, arguably because the Net had yet to prove itself as a successful medium for businesses to advertise to consumers. Thus, the company couldn't support the infrastructure and deliver a useful, reliable service.

But now we know just how lucrative the world of Internet advertising is. Suddenly, NetZero's original business model looks quite viable, though updated to the current state of the Internet Age.

And Google can certainly afford to build up a wireless Internet infrastructure and deliver Net access, gratis, along with delivering all the fabulous aforementioned services, just like NBC and ABC and other major TV stations can bring you daily programming for free. The cost of the hardware and development is all paid for through advertising.

So there you have it. Google can practically hand out Google-optimized smart phones through which you and I can access the free wireless GoogleNet to partake in just about any (Google-delivered) service we might want or need, from e-mail and calendar to maps to entertainment like streaming video -- again, for free.

OK, so not entirely free. If that above scenario were to play out, and you're a business that depends on Net advertising, you may find that Google really is the only company that can bring your message to the masses, and you'll really have no choice but to pay a premium for that privilege.

And personally, I still find it all just a little bit troubling.

A Google phone with ads is beyond the pale

There was an old ad campaign that went something like, "It's not nice to fool with mother nature." And I believe the perpetrator of this crime was quickly zapped by lightening.

Google's rumored Google phone, which will offer consumers free cell phone service, subsidized by placing text or voice advertising on the phone, puts this saying in mind.

To most Americans, their cell phone is a personal device that they do not want messed with.

It is hard enough, especially for those of us who remember the old monopolistic days of Ma Bell, when phones just worked, to get used to lousy cell phone service, let alone listening to ads every time we dial.

And 3G service still isn't all it's cracked up to be. Imagine not only having to wait for your content to appear on the screen but waiting first for the ad to appear and go away before you view the content you want?

Worse still, what about a 911 call? Will you have to listen to an ad before you speak to the emergency dispatcher?

No way.

A cell phone is no longer a "nice to have" device. It is the most important lifeline and communications tool we have.

Google makes a big mistake if it doesn't give it the respect and deference it deserves.

I think this time Google may be biting off more than it can chew. Yes, what it's after is more platforms on which to sell advertising. After all, it's Google's main -- at this point, only -- revenue stream.

But consumers, believe it or not, have their limits, and I think they will draw the line at commercials on their mobile.

Comments

Gmail generates revenue through contextual text advertisements, not "commercials". They are more effective and less intrusive than advertisements on other competing services. But people said similar things about gmail advertisements before gmail took off.

People would gladly look at search results and advertisements generated from location based searches. That would generate revenue.

There could be a combination of customer payment and advertisement revenue.

People want google services on their mobile devices. The main possible complaint may be about privacy with regard to GPS and call records. That is a problem already, and Google could likely allow people to opt out of certain personalizing/contextualizing features.

Google won't put "commercials" on peoples' phones.

"No way" to your irrelevant straw man.

What a silly argument you have. I'm going to go send an email from gmail. Sure beats the crappy Hotmail interface with it's comparatively annoying advertisements. Not to mention the clunky Blackberry web interface, which is not integrated with an entire web platform like Google services.

I don't think Google is perfect, but HAHA to your article/post.

Report: Google shows phone prototype to manufacturers

Google has developed a prototype cell phone that could reach markets within a year, and plans to offer consumers free subscriptions by bundling advertisements with its search engine, e-mail, and Web browser software applications, according to a story published Thursday in The Wall Street Journal.

Google is showing the prototype to cell phone manufacturers and network operators as it continues to hone the technical specifications that will allow the phone to offer a better mobile Web browsing experience than current products, the story said.

Google declined to comment on the report of the prototype but confirmed that it is working with partners to expand its software applications from the traditional Internet to mobile devices.

"We're partnering with carriers, manufacturers, and content providers around the world to bring Google search and Google applications to mobile users everywhere," Google spokesman Michael Kirkland said.

"What our users and partners are telling us is that they want Google search and Google applications on mobile, and we are working hard every day to deliver that," Kirkland said.

The move would echo another recent product launched by a phone industry outsider: Apple's iPhone. But Google's product would draw its revenue from a sharply different source, relying on commercial advertising dollars instead of the sticker price of at least $499 for an iPhone and $60 per month for the AT&T service plan.

Negotiating the fairest way to split those advertising revenues with service providers could be a big hurdle for Google, one analyst said. Another problem is the potential that consumers could be scared off by the prospect of listening to advertisements before being able to make phone calls, said Jeff Kagan, a wireless and telecommunications industry analyst in Atlanta.

"I don't know how successful it's going to be. The model of an ad-supported wireless Web has not been successful over the past 10 years," he said, referring to municipal Wi-Fi networks that offer free Internet connections to users willing to view advertisements while they surf the Web.

"The average adult who can afford a cell phone is not going to want to listen to ads. So this is mainly for teenagers, twenty-somethings, high schoolers or people who can't afford a phone," said Kagan.

Industry watchers have long heard rumors that Google was designing its own mobile phone. Google added fuel to that speculation in July when it announced it was willing to spend $4.6 billion to buy wireless spectrum in a U.S. Federal Communications Commission auction.

At the same time, an increasing number of industry newcomers have made bids to enter the market, such as Apple with the iPhone and Disney, which launched a wireless version of its ESPN cable sports channel that ultimately failed.

"We see the cell phone industry continuing to evolve," Kagan said. "We're still going to see traditional handsets, but the Apple iPhone was a brand-new category in wireless, and it wasn't from a handset vendor and wasn't from a network."

Google's success in its venture will depend largely on the details it is still defining with its manufacturing and network partners, and whether customers are willing to trade user fees for intrusive advertising, he said.

"There are a lot of unknowns, but generally speaking, it hasn't worked yet," said Kagan.

LG's KU580 Google phone to launch in Europe

The phone comes pre-installed with mobile services from Google, giving one-click access to Google’s search engine, as well as Gmail and Google maps.

LG spokesperson Choi Jun-Hyuk said: "We will sell our new 3G Google phones this week in five European countries - Italy, France, Germany, Romania and the Czech Republic. The phone will allow users to easily search for information, find locations and manage email".

The phones offers a 2-inch display screen, a camera, FM radio reception and Bluetooth.

There have been rumours about Google developing specific mobile phone software and even possibly a Google branded handset on the wires for a while now, for a time rival company Samsung was favourite for the partnership.

LG signed a deal with Google in April, and more Google-flavoured handsets are expected to be launched as a result.

Judging from the picture, it looks like this new moby will be coming to Vodafone...

iPhone's accelerometer can be used in 3rd party apps?

Apple is one lucky company to have all those fans making iPhone apps without an official SDK. Now, a guy claims he has figured out how to use the iPhone’s accelerometer in applications. What follows is the short video demoing some wacky stuff and games, which use the accelerometer for controlling objects on the screen. On the second though, this might be the pre-recorded video and such things are still not possible. Who knows…

UPDATE: It seems this is the real thing. The guy who made this video posted the source code!

[Via: Gizmodo]

GPhone Rumor "Confirmed" Again

The 'yes it's here', 'no it isn't', 'yes it is' tennis match of rumors about a Google-powered mobile phone have been entertaining to watch, as yet another source swears on the immaculate souls of Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn souls that the GPhone is alive and on the way.

GPhone Rumor "Confirmed" Again

As each Google Phone rumor makes the rounds, you can't help but think Elvis and JFK will show up on the front of the Wall Street Journal texting each other with them.

The latest absolute stone-cold GPhone rumor appeared on the blog of Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins, who says what he's got comes from an inside source at the impenetrable Googleplex, where staffers physically assault photographers trying to take picture of people playing Twister at a party on their campus:

I talked to one of my inside sources at Google today. He spoke on conditions of anonymity, but the guy is someone I trust implicitly. He said that he was baffled at Google's apparent internal confusion on the GPhone issue - that they've actually demo'ed the thing in public before.

He said that the Google (applications) Suite is going to play a huge role in the usability of the GPhone, and the thought process behind it's functionality is less about beating the iPhone and more about beating the $100 Laptop, which provides a huge clue behind what will be the pricing structure on this.

Hopkins has received some flack in his blog comments from people who aren't convinced of his post's veracity. We're much more interested in a Google network that would back a Google phone, rather than the hardware, but for now we're happy to mention another story about the GPhone.

Google Phone, New Ad Platform

The tech world is buzzing with rumors about a Google phone. The Wall Street Journal ran an article today, quoted at SearchEngineLand, that provides some details of the development process. Apparently, Google is taking a two-pronged approach: developing their own handset, but at the same time opening up the specifications to allow other manufacturers to offer compatible phones. And, unlike Apple’s iPhone, the Google Phone (GPhone?) should be available from multiple wireless companies.

[Google] is drafting specifications for phones that can display all of Google’s mobile applications at their best, and it is developing new software to run on them. The company is conducting much of the development work at a facility in Boston, and is working on a sophisticated new Web browser for cellphones, people familiar with the plans say…

Google is hoping that multiple operators will offer its phone. And Google is ready to relinquish some control over design, allowing manufacturers to create devices based on a common set of specifications. Google has approached several wireless operators in the U.S. and Europe in recent months, including AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, people familiar with the situation say. T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, appears to be the furthest along in considering it, these people say. Andy Rubin, who helped design T-Mobile’s popular Sidekick phone, now works at Google and is involved in its handset project. [From the WSJ via SearchEngineLand]

The overriding goal seems to be not slugging it out in the intensely competitive cell phone hardware market, but rather creating a new platform for Google advertising. Free, ad-supported phone service isn’t out of the question. One thing that Google has discovered in the past is that “free” is a very attractive price point. They have taken costly web analytics software and offered it free to users, who can better manage their paid Google Adwords campaigns. In addition, Google vacuums up even more data for its insatiable effort to better understand Web users and site traffic patterns.

Wireless Market Disruption. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that Google could cause some major restructuring in the stodgy U.S. cell phone market. The big carriers that dominate wireless service in this country also dominate cell phone hardware distribution - greatly to the detriment of U.S. wireless users. Hardware choices are limited compared available those in Europe and Asia, and U.S. carriers sometimes even cripple hardware features to boost service revenue. Apple did nothing to break these oligopolistic practices when they introduced their iPhone - rather, they released it through a single carrier. It’s likely that Google will find it easier to cooperate with the U.S. wireless giants too, but they may shake up the market by offering new hardware at dramatically lower ad-supported hardware pricing.

Google Smart Phone. What would I love to see? A Google-designed smart phone. I’ve been patiently waiting for the Verizon XV6800 to release (OK, maybe not patiently), and even though I want this phone I’m sure I’ll find it has important limitations and compromises. With Google’s demonstrated creativity, I think they could probably shake up the smart phone market, too. Every employee would have one, and by the time Smart GPhone 2.0 came out, I’m sure it would rock.

Goo-Fone or Gphone - Fact or Fiction?

Goo-Fone? .. or should that be Gphone? It may not matter given what Google is said to have said. Google seems to be strongly denying the rumors that it will develop its own cell phone.

Rumors have been circulating for months based on particular actions by Google, for example on some intriguing new hires. There might well be attractive economics if Google were to follow this route since clearly the Mobile Web is growing much more strongly than the regular Web.

Now Google has chosen to come out with a denial. Supposedly it will seek alliances with the established telcos. Given that different telcos often adopt a walled garden approach to their own particular offerings, this implies a multi-solution approach by Google. Google will also be accepting a smaller share of the profit pie than if it were in the driving seat. In some ways the strategy implied by the denial seems less attractive than the strategy they have now denied pursuing.

It also is somewhat unusual for a company to come out with a denial of actions rather than announcing news of actions. Why was it felt necessary to issue a denial? All in all the denial seems less credible than what is being denied. I personally think we’re more likely to be seeing a Goo-Fone or Gphone or whatever they decide to call it at some time in the not too distant future.

Cerf Disconnects Google Phone Rumors

Last week, a high-ranking Google executive confirmed that the search engine company is developing a mobile phone. Now another exec - one with even more influence - has denied the rumors. “[B]ecoming an equipment manufacturer is pretty far from our business model,” said Vinton Cerf.

Cerf effectively outranks Isabel Aguilera, Google’s chief executive in Spain and Portugal; it was Aguilera who made a proclamation about the GPhone six days ago. But if Cerf’s word isn’t enough for you, Richard Kimber, Google’s managing director of sales and operations in Southeast Asia, confirmed the handset’s nonexistence.

“At this point in time, we are very focused on the software, not the phone,” said Kimber, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald. And while his statement, in combination with Cerf’s, effectively stomps out any hopes on the hardware front, it does leave other doors open.

Indeed, Cerf described his employer as “quite eager to be part of the mobile revolution,” and said that Google is “very interested in the platforms that other people are building.” The company’s recent deals with Vodafone and Orange serve as evidence of this focus (although those deals were also considered evidence of the GPhone’s existence).

At any rate, it appears that Google has issued a new party line in regards to one of its best-known mythical products. The blogosphere is reacting to the news with some disappointment - and some suspicion - and yet Cerf is one of the most credible people within the company (and, given his background in the communications industry, Cerf is perhaps the most credible person on this subject).

So Cerf’s proclamation should stand: there will be no Google phone. At least not yet.

Apple's iPhone Then Google's GPhone

The discussions could lead to Google's search technology powering a new "Google phone", which would make using cell phones as easy as the world's most popular search engine.

Their plans centre on a branded Google phoneit might have a screen similar to a video iPod. But it would have built-in Google software which would dramatically improve on the slow and cumbersome experience of surfing the web from a mobile handset.

If you think you don't need a Gphone, you may want to consider the features a Google-powered phone will bring

Among the potential benefits are location-based searches: aware of your handset's geographical position, Google could offer a tailored list of local cinemas, restaurants and other amenities, and maps and images from Google Earth.

If the rumors are true, Google's certainly smart to continue with it's path of not getting involved with hardware production. Let Orange handle the phone's production and Google handle the browsing experience. The Gphone could go on sale as early as 2008.

Google Phone An Attempt To Take On $100 PC?

Google Phone has been a subject of many rumors lately. Mark Hopkins, a technology podcaster, says he got the confirmation of the Gphone after talking to an insider Google (GOOG).

He said that the Google (applications) Suite is going to play a huge role in the usability of the GPhone, and the thought process behind it’s functionality is less about beating the iPhone and more about beating the $100 Laptop, which provides a huge clue behind what will be the pricing structure on this…regarding the two week timetable on it’s release, he said he could not confirm that part of the story.

If that indeed is the case, then it makes sense for Google to be talking to mobile carriers in countries where PC density is marginal. By tightly integrating the Google Apps, Google Phone could become a viable rival to the much ballyhooed $100 PC being promoted by everyone from Nicholas Negroponte and Microsoft (MSFT), and will also over come the connectivity problem facing most of the $100 PC schemes. Of course, I have no way of confirming what Hopkins is claiming, so take this post with a big pinch of salt.

Google Phone Spotted, Bigfoot Was Using It

The so-called Gphone is joining the ranks of myth the ever-looming Google operating system inhabits, alongside Bigfoot, Atlantis, and nude Jessica Alba. Nevertheless, as an Indian news source reports, the illusive Gphone is merely "fortnight" away from launch worldwide.

Or within a year. And Google's prepared to invest up to $8 billion in the project. Or hundreds of millions.

Math's kinda hard.

It's hard telling which publication printed it first, as it has appeared in several places, but I stumbled across it at Rediff.com, where Rajesh Kurup and Leslie D. Monte in Mumbai reported these (somewhat conflicting) details:

• Talks are believed to be taking place with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar…
• Sources…said a simultaneous launch across the US and Europe…
• US regulatory approval, which is expected soon, is the only hurdle that Google is waiting to cross…
• Google plans to invest $7-8 billion for its global telephony foray…
• These reports suggest that Google has developed a prototype that will hit the markets in a year's time…
• …Google had invested "hundreds of millions of dollars" in the project and was involved in discussions with US-based T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless…

And the Google geekosphere went into a near self-gratifying meltdown before taking a second look at the details and losing their, um, enthusiasm.

Google has a track record for avoiding the hardware side of things, despite the fact they did offer the FCC a promised $4.6 billion for wireless spectrum, hinting the company wants to delve into the wireless side of the business (or at least in wholesaling).

However, it remains to be seen if Google's willing to take on the kind of debt that is being reported. Last check, the company had something like $12.5 billion in cash, exceeded by the $12.6 billion speculated, unless $8 billion includes the spectrum bid, which is for the US only and not a global regulatory hurdle.

The first clue, actually, is in the first line, where Google is classified as a "nearly $13.5 billion search engine major." So maybe part of the problem is the language barrier (and a nice rebuttal to the idea of outsourcing English writers). But the company is actually worth about $160 billion.

And if the company is still awaiting regulatory approval, they must be getting it this week if there's a launch in a fortnight, unless the launch is within a year, like stated later in the article.

But also, it seems unlikely because of Google's buddy-buddy relationship with Apple. Google CEO Eric Schmidt is on the board of directors at Apple, and you'd think Google launching a competitor this close to iPhone's maiden voyage would likely peeve his business partners.

Google, as usual, refused to comment on rumors and speculation.

I think there is a possibility that Google will enter the wireless market, in some capacity – most likely from the provider and software side – but the Gphone doesn't match with Google's track record, prototypes spotted in Europe notwithstanding. But a worldwide launch in two weeks?

Somehow I doubt it.

Google Phone Rumours

Recent comments by Google Iberia's CEO, Isabel Aguilera, indicate that the search engine giant is working on its own mobile phone. Spanish online journal noticias.com published a brief article (in Spanish | English) indicating that Google engineers have been working (at least to some extent) on a mobile device.

There is nothing certain about the specification of any upcoming Google phone - and indeed there may never be one, but it's an intriguing idea for many reasons.

At first glance you might think that this type of idea is about branding. Like Apple, Google is a highly prestigious name and you might think that Google would be happy knocking together an iPhone competitor, but we think that Google will take a significantly different approach.

More than just a search engine

Google is no stranger to mobile services. Google Mobile is a neat front end to web browsing, searching and Google Mail.. but it's a very limited approach. Instead Google may well take the opportunity to come up with a tightly integrated client/server arrangement with any Google Phone which could knock the competition into a cocked hat.

Although the vast majority of Google visitors use the search engine only, Google is a major destination in its own right with Gmail / Google Mail, Google Maps / Maps for Mobile, Google Calendar, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Google Video / YouTube, Blogger, Google Talk and dozens of other applications and tools. Many of these applications would be ideal for use on a mobile device, and indeed there are mobile versions of most Google tools available.

Google can go one step further with its own phone though. Instead of accessing Google services through a web browser, Google could create a more sophisticated arrangement where a software application on the handset itself interacts with the Google server, allowing seamless client/server integration with email, calendering and other tools that you'd normally only expect to see on an enterprise level device such as a corporate BlackBerry solution. But because of the way Google works, this level of sophistication could be available to everyone, not just businesses. Push email via Gmail is another possibility with this arrangement.

Enterprise level integration for the consumer?

Even more complex applications could work seamlessly. Users could create a Google spreadsheet on their business PC, work on it later on a mobile phone and then access it again at home.. all without having to worry about transferring files.

Powerful location-based solutions could be created by adding a GPS module to the Google Phone and use it alongside Google Maps.

What's more, Google could make this work very easily "out of the box". Once a user has given their authentication details to the Google Phone then there's very little more that needs to be done. All the phone data would be synchronised with the Google server, so it could be easily accessible from a desktop machine or even by another authorised person.

Giving enterprise style sophistication with Mac style ease of use to the average customer is something that other providers would struggle to compete with, and crucially it would give a competitive advantage to Google over the likes of arch-rivals Microsoft.

What might the Google Phone look like?

So far, we've talked about how Google might make their application suite work with a phone, rather than speculating about the device itself. Our best bet is that any Google Phone would run a version of Linux because that offers the level of sophistication needed to run a complex application, and Google is already quite used to dealing with that operating system.

Given that the handset is likely to be a Linux smartphone, then Google would want to choose a partner experienced in that field. Motorola is probably the leading Linux proponent with handsets such as the Motorola ROKR E6 and several other devices. Alternatively, Samsung sell Linux-based smartphones in China and other manufacturers such as Panasonic and NEC also compete in this area. There are also several small startups that Google could work with - or even buy outright.

A device such as the Nokia N800 or Nokia 770 (pictured) might seem ideal as it has a wide screen and runs the Maemo Linux platform, but crucially this platform does not support standard voice calls yet. Although Maemo isn't a major business area for Nokia, there could be a considerable advantage for both Google and Nokia to develop a device of this type. But this is just speculation (of course!).

With the right development, Google services could be made to work seamlessly on a variety of handsets including large format PDA-style smartphones and much more compact traditional style business phones.

Of course, perhaps there will be nothing at all.. but the possibility of a Google Phone is so compelling that it would be a shame if it never happened.