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Google Hopes to Disaggregate Carriers with gPhone
Hugh Pickens writes "The New York Times has a look at Google's plan to loosen the carriers' control over their mobile phone networks in an effort to bring the dynamics of the PC-oriented Internet to the mobile Internet hoping that it can beat competitors in an open environment. The Google Phone or gPhone which is expected to be unveiled later this year will not compete with the iPhone but will help Google distribute their online services. Google intends to provide software that will be built into phones sold by many manufacturers and, unlike Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Google is not expected to charge phone makers a licensing fee for their software. Google will make its money brokering ads on the mobile phones and even envisions a free phone service one day supported entirely through ad revenue."
FTFA: Industry analysts say that Google, which has little experience with complex hardware, faces significant challenges. I'd have to disagree. Now, I'm not saying that the two technologies have any overlap, but that the statement that Google "has little experience with complex hardware" seems a little disingenuous.
I stole this sig from a more creative user.
And then someone hacks, umm, cracks the database and steers them both to Chez Poosay, right in the middle of a police raid on massage parlors...
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
I hate to tell you this, but they're not in the search business they're in the advertising business.
Funny though how people think this will flop when in reality Google seems to make gold out of anything and do it in a 'non invasive' way. Gmail is great and google is the leading search engine. Sure there are a few people freaking about rights and whatnot but they search about those rights violations on google.
I'm betting they'll do this, do it right, and revolutionize the cell phone - putting the crap old guard out of business or at least change them into something better. I for one would welcome free calls on my cell phone if they did it in such a non invasive way - so that it was as nice to use as Gmail.
Torontoman.
Uh...you pay to see ads every time you watch cable or satellite television...maybe you never thought about that.
The carriers don't need to be on-board with OpenMoko. It's just an unlocked GSM phone, which you can put a carrier's SIM card in. The only limitation in terms of carrier compatibiliy is the dialing software (gsmd), which doesn't cover enough to work automatically with all of the GSM carriers yet. But that's being worked on.
DNA just wants to be free...
Yes, I take it back. In fact, I've just purchased the OpenMoko Neo1973, and hope to be of some assistance in the open-source development community, which so far seems vibrant and friendlier than most :-)
Beer is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.