Goophone?

The Hindustan Times recently had an article written by Puneet Mehrotra, a web strategist, who had a lot of good info, a nice recap, and grouped it all together in a summary in the form of Pro’s, Con’s, and indifferent. One of those things was the nick name for the Google gPhone as the Goophone, which, in my opinion, makes it sound like a device, not from Google Labs, but from Nickelodeon labs.

Anyways, onto what really matters, first, Google has reportedly partnered with Vodafone, Samsung, and LG. Another upside is that if Google were successful with their ad-funded platform that would put Google that much closer to taking down Microsoft, to some that’s good, to some that’s not, me personally, I don’t think Microsoft needs taken down, maybe just knocked down a notch or two, anyways, back to Google’s gPhone.

The downsides are cost and the obvious barriers to entry. Even Steve Jobs himself had help from AT&T (then Cingular), but what Google is doing is a very risky game. They already pissed off a lot of people trying to make the entire 700 MHz spectrum open. So now all the carriers they are partners with are only staying with them as long as Google is making them money. Do you really think Google is going to be making other carriers money when they drop their own service and gPhone?

The writer also addressed their thoughts on Google’s approach to press, and the fact that any press, good or bad, is good press because it keeps Google in the limelight. Then they hinted at their suspicions that the gPhone, and/or its services announcements will likely come from Google’s large network of blogs.

Personally, I just wish we could get something, a picture of an actual mock-up, an FCC filing, a manufacturer or Google employee slipping up and saying a little too much, really anything would be great, for now though we have little inklings of news coming in. I really can’t wait for the Google phone or gPhone to rear its beautiful little head. Maybe we will get a sign from an accessory vendor with the listing of a Google Phone category, or maybe a Google gPhone listed under a phone manufacturer’s list, something would be great.

Google’s gPhone Office Functionality by AJAX and Other Possibilities From Google Labs

Not too long ago Google acquired a couple of companies known for their AJAX based software which allowed for functionality similar to Microsoft’s Word and Excel, except in your web browser. Of all the features already being mentioned as being part of Google’s upcoming gPhone, why not these two?

I mean, they are already naming GMail, Google Maps, and YouTube/Google Video, so why not other apps that have graduated or are a part of the Google Labs? You could use Google Product Search for price comparisons. A personalized Google homepage to increase the efficiency of the time you spend on the WWAN.

Or, and this one is my best idea yet, integrate Google Checkout and any number of the proximity payment systems now being integrated into key fobs, credit cards, and cell phones. Just imagine the ease of being able to view the details of all of your day’s purchases without having to pull out a wad of receipts. Just go to your google checkout and balance your check book all from one page. Maybe even using a table in Google Spreadsheets to balance and record your check book.

The bottom line is that Google already has so many features and functions, that the necessity for much more than a basic operating system will be nullified provided the gPhone can be connected to a high speed network. The open source platform and OS would just be used for 3^rd party applications for Google’s gPhone, all your data storage and important financial data could be stored off site on Google’s servers which would increase the handset’s security and reliability, since that would make losing or breaking your gPhone not as big of a deal. You could just get a new one, connect, log in, and synchronize, obviously using Google Calendar, and be done.

Sadly none of this is being said by anyone in a position to influence Google’s gPhone’s design or capabilities, but I think they are great ideas. What do you think? Leave us a comment.

Should We Be Expecting Sprint’s 4G WiMAX Network on Google’s gPhone?

Sprint recently announced that they will be shipping a version of Nokia’s N800 Internet Tablet that will be able to access their 4^th generation WiMAX network. Hopes are high that Sprint’s new network will be widespread enough for a large number of people to make good use of this new iteration of Nokia’s N800.

It would make a lot of sense for some sort of agreement like this to materialize during the design of the phone, as it would require the special WiMAX chips. If Sprint decides to lease bandwidth on its WiMAX network to other carriers it would also make it a more viable option. In a dream world though, Google would just partner with Sprint on this and start making use of all that “dark fiber” Google was buying up a while back.

So let’s look at the facts as we have them so far:

1. Google constantly states that it is their policy to get people the information they want where and how they want it as fast as possible, I don’t know of any faster or, once the network is established, more widespread.


2. Sprint has similar goals with all of their networks, especially their data networks.


3. In the end, Nokia’s N800 meets all the requirements of a potential gPhone excluding the ability to make calls, GPS, and Bluetooth, all of which could, I assume easily be added.

I think that even if Google’s gPhone wasn’t a modified, open source version of the N800, it should still definitely have access to Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network. At the very least they should not make the device exclusive to any one carrier so that it could possibly be connected to Sprint’s network.

Google gPhone Phone Accessory and Case Market

With the market for mobile phone accessories estimated to meet or exceed $32 billion this year alone, what implications would a free phone and/or services have on that number? I am sure that when ABI Research did their study they hadn’t expected such a new move in the cell phone industry as free, as in lunch.

Granted the majority of those accessories are for gadgets or attachments that add functionality, but in the interest of protecting their precious devices, most people splurge on a case. Sometimes those cases are just for protection, other times they are just for easier access, often accomplished by adding a belt clip or some sort of other connector for ease of access.

Chances are good though, that if you had a free phone or free service for that phone, which you would want to protect it, and if you didn’t have to pay for service, you would probably be on it all the time, so ease of access would become very important. Another important aspect to look at is branding, I mean, chances are good that when Google releases the gPhone it will not be some cheap $20 phone, so a case featuring the Google logo would be a status symbol of sorts.

Also, since Google’s gPhone will include an upgraded web browser and optimized versions of most of Google’s software, a search parameters list on the inside of a case would be nice for those less familiar with the search engine. The list could include functions, conversions, and the syntax list to get the most functionality out of your search.

So in my opinion, ABI Research’s expectations of mobile phone accessories markets to grow steadily might get spiked by the release of Google’s gPhone. Particularly the market for cases displaying the already-coveted gPhone.

James Allan Brady

New gPhone Might Include OpenMoko

Well it kind of makes sense, especially since Google is really pushing for open-ness. In that spirit of things it would only be right to go to the predominant open source phone platform right now.

I am somewhat disheartened by the fact that they won’t be utilizing the FIC Neo1973 GTA01 hardware. However they are going to be using the open source OpenMoko platform, just on some different hardware, purported to be being made by HTC.

The gPhone or Google Phone is supposed to be ad supported for at least talk time, how they implement this on a totally open source platform should be interesting to say the least. Being able to make significant modifications to your phone through the OpenMoko platform would be nice though

Google Using OpenMoko For gPhone? [via Phoronix]

The gPhone is in the works

If there was any doubt that internet search giant Google has its heart set on dominating the mobile phone industry the way it has the internet, it was well and truly snuffed out last week.
Not only was Google instrumental in winning concessions in the rules of an upcoming auction in the US of radio spectrum that will guarantee that any device or service can be used on that spectrum, but Google has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into developing mobile phone designs.
Whether Google will, in the next few years, go head to head with AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile to construct a mobile network in the US is far from clear. To do so would be horrendously expensive, even for a cash-rich behemoth like Google. It would need to be successful in grabbing a slice of the airwaves in the upcoming auction, and it hasn't indicated yet whether it will participate.
Last week I reviewed Apple's iPhone which, with its touch screen and intuitive user interface, is a game-changing device. By as early as next year, if rumours of Google's tie-ups with Taiwanese hardware makers are correct, the gPhone could be on the market, offering even more compelling functionality.

After all, applications like Google Search, Maps, Talk, Gmail and Documents have been adopted by millions of web users around the world. While many of those people are using Google on their mobile phones, a handset designed to deliver the best Google experience would be very powerful.
If the risk of over-extending itself in the mobile space is a real one for Google, the rewards for going mobile are also very real. The US mobile phone advertising market was worth US$1.5 billion last year and is expected to reach US$14 billion by 2011, says research company eMarketer.
I very rarely click on adverts displayed on the Google search engine or to the right of my messages in Gmail, Google's free email service. But I'd be much more likely to click on an advertising link on my mobile phone that throws up results based not only on what I punch into Google's search engine, but also on my physical location. Maybe I could type in "movie sessions" and a group of links to movies showing in the next few hours at inner-city Auckland theatres would appear, because I am standing on Queen St. That would be very useful.
I use Gmail on my Harrier smartphone, but if I could use a phone to have Google Talk chat sessions and to access Google Documents in a nice way, I'd consider switching.
While Google has prototypes of its own phones in the works, it also appears that it is developing software and hardware standards that it will encourage mobile handset makers to adopt. If early reports are accurate, the standards have a heavy weighting towards mobile internet access, with recommendations that handset makers build Wi-fi and 3G high-speed data access into their phones. Google is also said to be working on an internet browser for mobile phones.

Google Phone concept design

These conceptual rendering of the Google Phone are eye candy, but I highly doubt they’ll ever see the light of day. Keep in mind that this was initially posted back in April of this year so as you can imagine it’s already a few months old. On top of that, it’s not Google’s nature to be flashy or arrogant to where they engrave “Google Phone” on the device.

Vincent Nguyen

Google ‘gPhone’ Phone accessories

I cannot imagine Google’s gPhone to NOT have the latest Bluetooth specs - Bluetooth 2.1. That being said, any Bluetooth accessories should work especially Bluetooth headsets.

Sound ID SM100 Bluetooth Headset for Google ‘gPhone’ Phone

Designed for versatility, the SM100 offers three modes of use, Mobile Mode, EnvironmentalMode and One2One Mode. This lightweight and ergonomic in-ear headset can wirelessly connect to compatible devices, amplify surrounding sound when not being used with a mobile phone for enhanced in-person communications, as well as link to another SM100 EarModule to form two-way radio connections. Small, sleek and stylish, the SM100 is ready-to-use, right out-of-the box – giving users the ability to easily and conveniently adjust the device to meet his or her sound needs. This rich audio experience is complemented by RealComfort EarLoops to ensure comfort even with extended use.

The SM100 delivers three industry-first features:

Personalized Sound - a user can personalize the headset to his or her specific sound preferences - resulting in crisp, clear audio across mobile communications settings

Environmental Mode - When you’re not using your Bluetooth headset, the headset typically ends up blocking sound from that one ear in use. This creates an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous environment whereby you hear partial ambient sound from one ear. The SM100 fixes this problem by amplifing environmental sound when the headset is not in use - thereby equalizing sound coming to both ears.

NoiseNavigation System - Sound ID implements it’s “Auto Focus for your Ears” technology to reduce ambient noise to deliver clear speech and sound quality.

Blueant Supertooth Light Bluetooth Speakerphone accessory for G00gle ‘gPhone’ Phone

Stylish in design, easy to use and with no installation requirements, the new BlueAnt Supertooth Light offers the latest in sun-visor mounted handsfree speakerphone technology.

Currently, the most powerful speakerphone on the market today, the BlueAnt Supertooth Light incorporates the very latest technology from Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR). Its outstanding audio quality is achieved via the integration of the cutting edge Clear Voice Capture (CVC) Digital Signal Processor (DSP) technology, providing truly superior sound.

The BlueAnt Supertooth Light uses real-time audio to process any echo or background noise resulting in the improvement of the sound quality of the user’s voice regardless of whether the car is stationery or traveling at high speed. It also adjusts sound levels to compensate for loud engine noise or external noise created when the windows are wound down.

Easily mounted on the car’s sun-visor, the BlueAnt Supertooth Light can be paired with up to five devices, supports voice dial activation, redial and call reject and also has a retractable sliding microphone.

• Digital Sound Processor (DSP) for noise & echo cancellation


• Fully portable, sleek design with zero installation costs


• Full duplex & high performance speaker


• Mounts on a sun-visor using a two sided magnetic clip


• Easily switch sides when moving sun-visor up or down


• Sliding microphone shaft retracts when not in use


• Supports voice dial activation, redial & call reject


• Supports multi-pairing to 5 devices


• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery


• Up to 15 hrs talk-time or 800 hrs / 33 days standby

Sony Ericsson HCB-700 Bluetooth Car Kit accessory for Google ‘gPhone’ Phone



Sony Ericsson designed the HCB-700 Bluetooth handsfree car kit to enable drivers to safely and conveniently manage calls without diverting attention from the road.

The HCB-700’s Info display can be mounted at eye-level, either on the dashboard or close to the rearview mirror, so you can easily see who’s calling with minimum eye movement. Plus, the lighting on the display can be adjusted to match your car’s dashboard lighting.

Its “voice digit” dialing feature let’s you dictate numbers out loud to place calls. And if the number is already registered in your phone’s address book, you can simply name dial.

Moving beyond voice control, the HCB-700 has a handy joystick-like controller unit that can be mounted near the steering wheel or wherever it makes sense. This controller has easy-to-use buttons for scrolling through menu options.

Thanks to the HCB-700’s Bluetooth connectivity, you don’t need to take your Smartphone out of your pocket to get yourself dialed in, so to speak. Plus, if you are carpooling, you can share the HCB-700 with up to five passengers.

Feature Summary:

• LCD screen with over 20 different display colors.


• Pair up to 5 phone profiles.


• 5-way joystick control box.


• Radio mute feature.


• External speaker.


• Ability to place, redial, end and review calls with one touch voice command.

This accessory requires professional installation required.

Google gPhone

gPhone Concept Blog :
http://gphonegoogle.blogspot.com