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GPhone Still In the Works At Google

Posted by Zonk on from the i-wish-goog-411-worked-better dept.

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 ...'"

3 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Data collection by bhalter80 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

    1. Re:Data collection by RobertM1968 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      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.

      --
      StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
  2. Re:700 MHz by nine-times · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.