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.

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