Is Google Getting into the Cell Phone Business? - Shopping Around a Prototype

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According to the respected publication, Google is shopping smart phone prototypes around to a number of wireless operators, including T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless. Rather than manufacture the phone itself, Google hopes to convince a variety of manufacturers to make their phones and a number of carriers to sell them. In this sense, Google's approach is the diametric opposite of Apple's; only one manufacturer is making the iPhone, and only one wireless carrier - AT&T - is selling the handset.

Whoever ends up manufacturing the cell phone, Google is pretty serious about this project. It has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in it. At least some of that money must be going into luring the right people to the project. Andy Rubin signed on; before drawing his pay packet from Google, Rubin designed T-Mobile's Sidekick smart phone. One recent article talking about new Sidekicks in the offing described the whole brand as "one of the few smartphone lines outside of those built on Windows Mobile, the Palm OS, or Symbian platforms to gain a loyal following and some market share."

No doubt Google is hoping Rubin will bring some of that magic to the specs for the prototypes. Google would like to see manufacturers include cameras for both photo and video, as well as built-in Wi Fi technology so you can surf the web while you're sipping that double latte at Starbucks. And just so you don't feel like your phone could use some coffee too, Google recommends that the phones be designed to work on 3G networks for faster surfing. As a final touch, Google would like to see the phones include global positioning systems (GPS) to show users' locations.

Anyone who has been in the market for a smart phone knows that these specs aren't particularly difficult to find on any phone that is currently on the market, with the possible exception of the video camera. So why invest in something like this if Google isn't going to make it special? The short answer is that, for Google's purposes, mobile phones are where the money is.

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