It's time we hear from Google about its mobile phone plans

Also see: The Gphone is coming; how Google could rewrite the rules 

google phone concept cWe’ve been waiting a long time to hear from Google about its mobile plans and the so-called Gphone or Google-powered phones. According to one report, that wait may be over soon.

The Wall Street Journal today said Google is expected to announce within the next two weeks advanced software and services that would allow handset makers to bring Google-powered phones to market by next summer. Google’s goal is to make applications and services as accessible on cellphones as they are on the Internet.

To compliment the WSJ’s story, Reuters noted that Google is in active talks with Verizon, the No. 2 carrier in the U.S., about putting Google applications on phones it offers.

And in early October, The New York Times posited that the Google phone may not be a phone at all but a mobile operating system.

google phone concepts

Obviously speculation abounds, which the tech community thrives on. The WSJ believes that Google-powered phones will wrap together several Google applications like the search engine, Google Maps, YouTube, and Gmail — no surprise there. It makes sense.

The WSJ says the “most radical element” of Google’s plan is its push to make software for the phone(s) open “right down to the operating system” — again, no surprise. It makes sense.

If the Google phones are “open”, independent software developers would gain access to the tools they need to build additional phone features, something that Nokia is already experimenting with. Apple will also be opening up, to some degree at least, early next year.

Of course all of this — and what’s been written the past two months — is speculation. It’s time we hear from Google.

Original concepts: last100 and Lorin Wood.

Also see: The Gphone is coming; how Google could rewrite the rules

last100 is edited by Steve O'Hear. Aside from founding last100, Steve is co-founder and CEO of Beepl and a freelance journalist who has written for numerous publications, including TechCrunch, The Guardian, ZDNet, ReadWriteWeb and Macworld, and also wrote and directed the Silicon Valley documentary, In Search of the Valley. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

11 Responses to “It's time we hear from Google about its mobile phone plans”

  1. The Google is very popular among the various other search engines like Yahoo, Alexa etc. The ranking in http://www.google.co.in plays a very important role in promoting a website. Fortunehotels.in is having good post in google and also looking to have a good rank in http://www.alexa.com/data/details/main?url=www.fortunehotels.in alexa. I neet suggestions.

  2. Pure conjecture, but what if this somehow also plays into their social networking plans? I sincerely doubt they end at the Facebook Platform competitor they’ve announced so far. An open, standards based social operating system that runs across a variety of different devices would change the ballpark, rapidly transform Google from a search and advertising company into the leading software company of any kind, and scare the bejeezus out of both Redmond and Cupertino.

  3. zbeast says:

    I can’ t wait to get my hands on a g-phone. My only hope is that they don’t over do the
    thin thing… if you make it super-thin there’s no space for batters and less space for
    features.. no one in there right mind puts a iphone in there pocket.
    So there is no reason for it to be that thin.
    Think looks great on your boyfriend… but phones should be thick.

  4. Are those pics real? Is that really the GPHone?

  5. Henrique Moraes Machado says:

    Google and other mobile makers should look at this blog entry: http://www.djlosch.com/article_One_Handheld_to_Rule_Them_All_%28tm%29
    This guy has some interesting ideas

  6. iPhone Pocket User says:

    Seriously?!? “No one in their right mind puts an iPhone in their pocket”!!! Wow, I guess you don’t have in iPhone or have any friends with one. A) they’re not that thin at all, and B) the pocket is where most of them (including mine) go.

    In any event, the point of this article is that maybe, just maybe, the Google play will be more “game changing” just a device that can display their services/content. Perhaps it will be an entire OS and accompanying ecosystem that phone hardware producers can use (or license) to give them (and us, the consumers) access to a much more content rich and open environment. This would truly compete against the iPhone in a way that the iPhone has no possible access to at this point.

  7. Hans Erik says:

    Google definitely has the muscle to pull something pretty revolutionary off. I eagerly await their move. I’ve read a little about their plans to try to integrate ALL the little pieces of media that are currently exclusive to the various social networking sites (i.e. you upload a song to Myspace and it only plays on Myspace). They’re going to try to do for social networking what they are doing for the ever murkier line between OS and internet-based apps. Could be real good.

    Hans Erik
    Content Marketing Director
    http://www.next2friends.com

  8. Bill says:

    Heard about the gphone and Verizon. I was waiting for google to pull something out of there hate

  9. Max says:

    it will take while before we hear anything from google.

    max
    http://www.mobileMarkaz.com

  10. bunny says:

    Yippy! Looks like this is going to be big hit! I can’t wait until it is offered! I want one!

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