Rumored 'Google Phone' said to be coming in 2010
Google is rumored to release its own custom-built Android phone in early 2010, allowing the company to control all of the facets of the software and hardware, much like with Apple and the iPhone.
According to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, the Google-branded phone has been "confirmed" through reliable, anonymous sources, and will be sold directly through retailers very soon. Though the handset was originally planned to release this holiday, it has slipped to early 2010. Though the device will be created by a major manufacturer, much like Microsoft did with the first Zunes from Toshiba, it will only have the Google brand on it.
"There won?t be any negotiation or compromise over the phone?s design of features -- Google is dictating every last piece of it," Arrington said. "No splintering of the Android OS that makes some applications unusable. Like the iPhone for Apple, this phone will be Google?s pure vision of what a phone should be."
While the report claims the preceding information is from reliable sources, Arrington also provides a number of rumors in which he is less confident. He said the handset is likely to be manufactured by Korean companies LG or Samsung, though because Samsung makes a number of parts found in the iPhone, Apple could pressure the company to not accept a deal.
The report also said that Google is set to plan a "big advertising push" in January for the new hardware.
"We don't know what the device will look like, how big it will be, or even if it has a physical keyboard," Arrington said. "But we do know that Google is getting into the phone building business directly, and doesn't seem too concerned about competing with all the other device manufacturers building Android phones."
Until now, the Android platform has been included in devices created by third-party manufacturers, in much the same business model employed by Microsoft with Windows. The new Motorola Droid has been equipped with version 2.0 of the mobile operating system, which sports the company's free turn-by-turn directions application, Google Maps Navigation.
Though Android took a small share of the market in its first year with essentially one handset available, some believe its presence will grow significantly in the coming years, as the operating system expands to new hardware and carriers.
For more on the software side of Android vs. the iPhone, see AppleInsider's ongoing series:
Inside Google's Android and Apple's iPhone OS as core platforms
Inside Google's Android and Apple's iPhone OS as business models
Inside Google's Android and Apple's iPhone OS as advancing technology
According to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, the Google-branded phone has been "confirmed" through reliable, anonymous sources, and will be sold directly through retailers very soon. Though the handset was originally planned to release this holiday, it has slipped to early 2010. Though the device will be created by a major manufacturer, much like Microsoft did with the first Zunes from Toshiba, it will only have the Google brand on it.
"There won?t be any negotiation or compromise over the phone?s design of features -- Google is dictating every last piece of it," Arrington said. "No splintering of the Android OS that makes some applications unusable. Like the iPhone for Apple, this phone will be Google?s pure vision of what a phone should be."
While the report claims the preceding information is from reliable sources, Arrington also provides a number of rumors in which he is less confident. He said the handset is likely to be manufactured by Korean companies LG or Samsung, though because Samsung makes a number of parts found in the iPhone, Apple could pressure the company to not accept a deal.
The report also said that Google is set to plan a "big advertising push" in January for the new hardware.
"We don't know what the device will look like, how big it will be, or even if it has a physical keyboard," Arrington said. "But we do know that Google is getting into the phone building business directly, and doesn't seem too concerned about competing with all the other device manufacturers building Android phones."
Until now, the Android platform has been included in devices created by third-party manufacturers, in much the same business model employed by Microsoft with Windows. The new Motorola Droid has been equipped with version 2.0 of the mobile operating system, which sports the company's free turn-by-turn directions application, Google Maps Navigation.
Though Android took a small share of the market in its first year with essentially one handset available, some believe its presence will grow significantly in the coming years, as the operating system expands to new hardware and carriers.
For more on the software side of Android vs. the iPhone, see AppleInsider's ongoing series:
Inside Google's Android and Apple's iPhone OS as core platforms
Inside Google's Android and Apple's iPhone OS as business models
Inside Google's Android and Apple's iPhone OS as advancing technology
Comments
“We’re not making hardware. We’re enabling other people to build hardware.”
So either Michael Arrington is full of crap or Google is about to have a very Microsoftian moment and violate the whole system of ethics the company is built on.
Filed Away for Future Claim Chowder: Mike Arrington Says Google Is Making Its Own Android Phone
Mike Arrington says Google is definitely making its own phone, coming in “early 2010”:
Way more interesting are the rumors we’ve been hearing for months about a pure Google-branded phone. Most of our sources have unconfirmed information, which we describe below. But there are a few things we have absolutely confirmed: Google is building their own branded phone that they’ll sell directly and through retailers. They were long planning to have the phone be available by the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer but will only have Google branding (Microsoft did the same thing with their first Zunes, which were built by Toshiba).
That puts Arrington on the same side as the almost-always-full-of-shit Scott Moritz. On the other side: Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering for Android at Google, who just two weeks ago said Google would not “compete with its customers” and “We’re not making hardware. We’re enabling other people to build hardware.”
So either Mike Arrington is totally wrong or Andy Rubin is a liar.
At the outset of Google’s Android initiative, I was a proponent of their creating a Google-branded, Google-designed reference handset. But at this point, after promising their hardware partners for 18 months that they wouldn’t do that, I don’t see how Google could do it without infuriating their partners and spoiling their trust. It’d be like what Microsoft did to its PlaysForSure partners when it introduced the Zune.
EDIT:
Gazobee beat me to it!
Irate Android Devs Aim To Replace Google's Proprietary Bits
Bad Google, bad.
Closed open software? Manufacturer favoritism? And now unfairly competing with your licensees?
I, personally, will stick with Apple products because of the complete 'Apple eco-system' which extends well beyond just the smart phone experience. Ie., syncing with my other macs via MobileMe, software integration which is improving all the time and of course, AppleTV.
I know many posters know this, but it is amazing how the eco-system is not included in the conversation when discussing the Pre's, Droid's of the world.
Anyone who has had to transfer video from a windows phone and then do video editing using a windows third party SW knows how frustrating a non-Apple solution can be!
I love Google Search in Safari, but as far as their other SW it's still a bit 'clunky' compared to Apple!
Thoughts?
It's the End of Time.
http://www.macdailynews.com/index.ph...ng_smartphone/
I love Google Search in Safari, but as far as their other SW it's still a bit 'clunky' compared to Apple!
Thoughts?
Completely agree. Over the years, I have actually backed away from many of the google apps and gone back to the Apple versions. I like them much more. Plus, I don't like the thought of all my info in the google clouds They get plenty of it just through search alone. It is my opinion that all corps that reach a certain size will do evil (that includes apple). So there will come a time when having willingly fed all your private info to google will not seem such a good idea after all.
A true Google phone seems simultaneously to be the only way to real success for Android and also the sure way to a number of Microsoftian stye disasters.
Android Handset Makers Are At Google's Mercy
Irate Android Devs Aim To Replace Google's Proprietary Bits
Bad Google, bad.
Closed open software? Manufacturer favoritism? And now unfairly competing with your licensees?
GOOG??? Who never soldered one single transistor to a board???
It's the End of Time.
And whose only real business was built without ever doing any meaningful UI ???
2012 is near
GOOG??? Who never soldered one single transistor to a board???
It's the End of Time.
They probably have hardware engineers who design their enterprise search appliances.
However, this brings up the point that Google has not done any active hiring of cellphone hardware engineers. Even to build a reference device, they would need to staff up and such job openings have not made the news.
I can see a Google-branded phone, but not one designed by Google. In the company's current form, they have much more value as a brand rather than hardware engineering prowess.
This will really make Android partners happy ... NOT! It is as if M$ started making PCs.
Exactly! Goodbye, Motorola, HTC, et al.
And whose only real business was built without ever doing any meaningful UI ???
2012 is near
Presumably, not every business on earth needs UI.
That's fresh idea, though. It will indeed be able to finally kill iPhone.