GPhone Still In the Works At Google

Technical Writing Geek writes "According to sources at a Taiwanese manufacturer, Google will definitely be launching its own branded phone. An article at DigiTimes states that the company has yet to finalize the handset's specifications, OS, production contractor and operating partners. '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 ... 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 ...'"

Data collection

[bhalter80]

Does anyone see this bringing a whole new meaning to phoning home? Think of all the data they could collect but owning the platform, they could mine where your contacts live how often you talk to each of them, all sorts of usagine information not relating to the phone depending on the feature set. This seems like a data miner's mother lode.

he said, she said.......

[inzy]

but no real details. nothing beyond what was reported the last time this was here, or the time before, or the time before........

wake me up when google announce something

Re:Data collection

[RobertM1968]

Which isn't too much different from any other Cell Provider... especially since many still sell that information - while Google has a history of creating a level of user anonymity that companies like AT&T don't.

So while Google may have access to more information (assuming you use their phones to access Google's online services), they seem less likely to use that information (from current and previous track records) than other cell carriers already ARE doing.

Only one question

[mysterious_mark]

Will it have an SDK and or support J2ME?

What would be better than a phone...

[Chineseyes]

would be if they released their own phone OS instead of their own phone with cross platform syncing tools. Windows Mobile is PAINFULLY lacking and I refuse to use the IPhone until they have one with a replaceable battery and a minisd slot.

Google + Apple = Goople?

[greywire]

I have to wonder what the gPhone will be like when there's already the iPhone getting all the attention. Because certainly they've been working on this since before the iPhone came out, and, since Google CEO Eric Schmidt is on the Apple board, they probably knew more about the iPhone than the public did before it came out...

One has to wonder if Google would even want to compete head on with the iPhone..

But they wouldn't be making something of lesser gee-whiz functionality, would they..

If it wasn't for my knowing that Apple hasn't traditionally been interested in sharing their IP with "clone" companies, I would almost start to think the gPhone is going to be a lot like the iPhone..

Maybe there's more going on between Apple and Google than we know...

700 MHz

[b0s0z0ku]

If Google gets the spectrum license, will they be building their own competing voice/data network in the USA?

-b.

Re:Data collection

[TheGratefulNet]

Or......you're an idiot.

well, read this and see if you still feel like defending google no matter what they do:

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2006/11/google.html [motherjones.com]

the fact is they have a lot of power and they have a lot of data. past performance is no indicator of future, as they say, and given that absolute power corrupts absolutely, I just fear any single entity that gets that much info on us.

I don't worry about the gov getting as much on us - the gov is mostly incompetant (that actually works in our favor, as citizens). but google is pretty competant - and that scares me, given how much data and access (and machine power) they have.

OpenSource all the way

[Anonymous Coward]

Much to the contrary, from what I've heard it will be OpenSource all the way from kernel (Linux) to app layer (Java VM), including application framework and extensive developer support. And cheap too. The whole point of this is to kick-start a community around OSS phone development.

Re:700 MHz

[nine-times]

Well... yeah. That's what the 700Mhz spectrum is going to be used for, and Google is one of the players looking to bid.

Of course, the really big idea is not to have a voice/data network, but to have it be an all-data network with VOIP. Of course, carriers really hate the idea because it pushes the idea that you can have a dumb pipe, and separate from that you have voice service which could possible be provided by another provider. The cell carrier business model relies on the presumption that the pipe and the service are inseparable, and building the pipe entitles you to all service contracts of any sort.

Verizon and the cable companies like this idea, too, that phone services, data services, and video services are all somehow inherently bound to the data network that carries them. This is what the net neutrality debate is all about. These big companies want to say, "I own the pipe, so I should get a piece of anyone providing any service through that pipe." If we can ever knock the services free of the pipe, I think we'll see a bit of a revolution.

Re:Google + Apple = Goople?

[timeOday]

One has to wonder if Google would even want to compete head on with the iPhone..

I hope not. The iPhone is just a smartphone with a few new features that looks like an iPod; there's nothing special about the infrastructure or business model.

If google jumps in, I hope it will be more revolutionary. For instance, if they won the bandwidth auction that's happening soon, and used that to make a high-speed nationwide data+voice wireless network open to third party devices (though since it's "new" spectrum, initially only the gPhone would work). I'm probably just setting myself up for major disappointment, but that's what I wish.