Google's Gphone

As this issue went to the printer in mid September, the hot rumor was of the impending announcement of the Gphone, Google's long-awaited entry into the smartphone market. A lot has been written about the Gphone, but all of it has been speculation based on comments from unnamed "inside" or "reliable" sources. Photos of the device have even been published, but all of these are artists renditions of the device—graphical speculation, if you will.

What's Google up to?

Google made its reputation as a great search engine, but it has not been content to rest on its laurels. Over the years, they have added a variety of features to their basic search engine, including the ability to search for maps and travel directions, videos, images, news, books, and patents. You can create your own blog on Google, organize your appointment calendar, share documents, search for products, and much more. In the last couple of years, Google and been migrating their site to a more mobile-friendly format. It is this last development, and Google's plans to bid in the FCC's upcoming 700 MHz wireless spectrum auction that point to the future Google is envisioning.

Many business pundits are suggesting that Google has plans to become a wireless service provider like Sprint, Verizon, and other carriers. But even if they don't have their own network, a branded mobile device that takes advantage of Google's feature-rich Web portal makes a lot of sense.

What will the Gphone look like?

According to online sources, an "insider" has confirmed that Google is working with HTC on the development of the Gphone. HTC is the Taiwanese company responsible for the design and manufacturing of most of the Windows Mobile devices on the market today. If this inside source is correct, does that mean that the Gphone will be a Windows Mobile device? Although that's a possibility, some media sources strongly suggest that the Gphone will be based on a version of the Linux OS running customized Google JAVA-based applications.

What will the Gphone look like? If HTC is helping Google design it, it will probably resemble one of their streamlined touch screen devices. Since Google's Web portal is a big part of the design, the device will probably have one of the larger displays—3.5-inch diagonal or better.

It's anybody's guess whether the device will have a built-in keyboard for messaging, like the Palm Treo series, or an onscreen keyboard. The device will probably include integrated Wi-Fi support and 3G data capability to support Google's Web features. And even if Google is successful with the spectrum auction, a wireless network requires all sorts of infrastructure and is a ways down the road. The initial version of the Gphone will probably work with existing networks. There will certainly be a GSM/GPRS version of the phone, and maybe a separate CDMA version for the Sprint and Verizon networks.

What other features are found on a good mobile phone these days? The Gphone will probably have a built-in camera and maybe even GPS capabilities.

Software applications on the Gphone

If the Linux OS/Java apps speculation is correct, we can expect a custom user interface that probably does not resemble Windows Mobile. And given the iPhone's success, I would imagine that Google is studying that UI for inspiration.

Since we're talking about a Google phone, we can probably expect a Google search window on the home page. We can also expect to see a phone book, calendar, a messaging application that accesses Gmail, and a well-integrated Web browser to access Google's features. I would also expect there to be a media player. And don't forget Google Talk, Google's VoIP technology for making Internet-based phone calls.

Will the Gphone be successful?