Google Patent Triggers Mobile Rumors - What’s Google’s Larger Plan?
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A number of observers have pointed out that if Google really is working on a mobile phone headset, it would be wise to include some kind of killer app. Surfing the Web, even with the Google search engine, isn’t enough. Tom Spring, writing for PC World, explained that “surfing the Web on your cell phone is less…enjoyable than it could be,” and blames it on carriers who serve users “walled gardens” of content without a full range of online applications and services. Even the browsers for mobile phones are less than robust. Of course, the small screen should shoulder part of the blame as well.
The killer app for a Google phone could be text message payment. But what evidence do we have that Google is working on a cell phone? Well, there are a lot of tantalizing hints. Rumors about a Google phone actually date back to December 2004, as this timeline illustrates. There’s a lot more than just rumors going on here, though.
Let’s look at the search engine giant’s actions. The fact that it already runs an online payment system makes developing a mobile version at least an arguably good idea. Google also has GTalk, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, which lets users make free or cheap calls over the web. And the company has been making many of its most popular applications, including Gmail and Google Maps, available on mobile phones.
If Google really wants to build a mobile phone and the corresponding service, it would need to develop an operating system. In 2005, Google bought Android, a startup software company that specialized in mobile software. The people behind Android also worked on T-Mobile’s wildly popular Sidekick handset.
Of course the most tantalizing clue to Google’s future plans came when it announced its intention to spend a minimum of $4.6 billion to bid in the upcoming auction for the 700 MHz wireless spectrum. Google could roll out a whole bunch of wireless services, use the spectrum to build its own cellular network or work with another company to create the network.
Next: Why Would Google Make a Cell Phone? >>
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