Verizon Might Deliver Google Phone

MrCrassic writes "There are talks floating around surrounding Google's possible talks with Verizon and possibly T-Mobile to establish an agreement for the carrier to deliver phones carrying Google's speculated mobile operating system. According to the article, one of the main hurdles slowing down the product are concerns about user privacy and advertising, one of Google's well-renowned strengths. With over 6 million customers potentially at their disposal, could this be "the deal" that establishes Google's hegemony in the internet sphere?"

Comments

Get a Move On

[jlf278]

What's taking so long? Google and Verizon please hurry up and introduce a sleek new phone to compete with the iPhone so my wife will stop nagging me to pay the early termination fee on her verizon contract. It's in all our best interests a true win/win/win.

Re:Get a Move On

[paintballer1087]

Verizon is a CDMA network, whereas AT&T/Cingular is a GSM Network, the phones are incompatible with each other. The iPhone can only be unlocked on GSM networks. Here's an article that explaines the difference in the two types of networks: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-gsm-and-cdma.htm

Re:Get a Move On

[krazytekn0]

My contention is that Google is simply incompatible with Verizon, protocols aside, verizon wireless has a long history of imposing ultimatums onto phone manufacturers and software publishers. Motorola is a great example, a verizon Razr only has about half the features as one that you buy from Motorola. Google maps mobile doesn't work on CDMA phones because none of the carriers (Verizon specifically) will let anyone make any kind of navigation software for a phone that the user doesn't have to pay a premium membership for. The list goes on and on, can't put Java on a verizon phone because *gasp* the user may be able to play games for free on their own piece of hardware! Or worse yet, write some piece of software specifically for themselves.

Actually, 3 US Networks

[VengefulCynic]

Reading the article, all accounts have it that Google has been in talks with T-Mobile for some time and now is in talks with both Verizon and Sprint. If it can net all three carriers to leverage phones with the Google OS, that would be far more than 6 million customers.

First, maybe, but not THE

[Chairboy]

Based on Google's public stance on information, I would guess that Verizon might be the first, but not the _only_ cell provider that provides Google-centered telephony. If you watch their lectures and listen to what their spokesmen say, you'll see that Google's interests are in having ubiquitous access to the 'cloud' (their term), meaning that the lines between being online and offline blur to invisibility.

Locking in w/ one carrier doesn't match that goal, especially when you consider their interest in the 700mhz band.

My guess is that if Google makes their break for ubiquity, it will be viral. They'll release a 'Killer setup' on, say, a Verizon phone. Then a few months later, it'll be on a GSM phone, and a few months later, maybe on Some New Thing that hasn't been revealed yet. It'll be a useful set of apps/tools that's "just too useful" for the cell providers to ignore, while so cheap that they can't rationalize building competitive software.

Re:Mobile phones + do no evil?

[EveryNickIsTaken]

I'm more concerned about the potential collision of Verizon + Do No Evil... A paradoxical combination like this could rip a hole in the space-time continuum.