Google has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in its mobile-phone project and is courting US and European mobile operators, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Anian, a Reuters company that tracks industry trends for institutional investors, reported last month that Google had engaged Taiwan's HTC to design a Linux software-based phone for launch in the first quarter of 2008.
The Anian report cited industry sources as saying that T-Mobile would probably be Google's US partner, with France Telecom's Orange selling the phones in other markets.
The Wall Street Journal said on Thursday that Google had also approached the two biggest US wireless services, AT T and Verizon Wireless, in recent months to ask them to sell phones with Google service.
It cited a Verizon Wireless executive as saying the company had decided not to integrate Google's web search tightly into its phones because of Google's advertising revenue-sharing demands. The newspaper said the executive had not commented on a Google phone.
A person familiar with the situation told Reuters that talks between Verizon Wireless, owned by Verizon Communications and Vodafone, and Google have ended without resulting in an agreement.
Representatives for Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and AT T declined comment.
T-Mobile and Vodafone already incorporate Google search in their mobile web service in Europe, while AT T offers it as one of several web-search options.
"We talk to a lot of different companies and we're not going to comment on our discussions with any of them," said Mark Siegel, an AT T spokesman.
Google was not immediately available for comment. The company has said wireless is an increasingly important market, but it has not announced plans to build a phone.
It said last week that Sprint Nextel would feature Google services on devices for a new wireless network that the number-three US mobile service is building.
Google has also developed prototype phones and talked over technical specifications with manufacturers including LG Electronics, the newspaper said.
Mobile advertising is still a relatively small market but advertisers and wireless experts expect this to change.
Yankee Group has forecast the mobile ad market to more than quadruple to $275m (£134m) in 2007, eventually increasing to $2.2bn in 2010, up from an estimated $60m in 2006. Some experts are forecasting an even bigger market.
Source:www.zdnet.co.uk
Showing posts with label Google Phone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google Phone. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Google: Is gPhone Dialing Up Once Again?
Here we go again--when it comes to all the speculation swirling around whether Google will jump into the cell phone market, not with new software, but with a handset of its own.
To wit, we've already reported the myriad possibilities and puzzle pieces pointing to a possible cell-phone market entry by the search giant. More than a hundred engineers dedicated to the mobile market; the hiring of Danger Inc. co-founder and T-Mobile Sidekick developer Andy Rubin; the acquisition of wireless and net upstart Grand Central; the lead role the company took in laying down the ground rules of the upcoming FCC wireless spectrum auction; its cozy partnership with Apple and its iPhone, with Google CEO Eric Schmidt sitting on Apple's board.
Which brings us to today and the front page story by our partners at the Wall Street Journal waxing philosophic about just how truly possible a "gPhone" is. But the Journal mentions several compelling new developments: that Google has developed prototype handsets; that the company has opened discussions, preliminary though they are, with Verizon and T-Mobile (did I mention the Rubin hiring?); and the spending of "hundreds of millions of dollars" on focused mobile spending.
There's a lot going on here. Seems like everyone recognizes the importance of wireless as the key catalyst in tech. Nokia released earnings today and the company announces that it sold 100 million handsets over the last quarter alone. That's a staggering figure, and with BlackBerry's continued success even in the face of the buzz iPhone still generates, the wireless market might be so hot that Google won't be able to afford to ignore it. Remember, that was the same argument used to convince everyone that Apple was entering the mobile market.
"If the wireless access growth really grows aggressively, which we really haven't seen much growth there to date, there is an opportunity for Google to monetize that," says Cowen's Jim Friedland.
When it comes to wireless, Google has made no bones about ponying up the funds to own spectrum and build out a network. The company's VP in charge of its wireless initiatives, Chris Sacca, tells me: "What do we have to do to insure Americans have choice of where they go on the internet, and make sure the internet is accessible to the broadest number of people possible." He says "we'll do what it takes," with the company already announcing it would spend nearly $5 billion to own a wireless spectrum. That's all network-oriented.
A handset is a different animal, though insiders at Google I'm talking to won't completely rule it out. However, they do say it's a long shot. Sniffing around; playing around; toying with different technologies. That's what Google does with its multi-billion dollar R&D budget. Something might come of it; or not. But before you jump to a gPhone as a forgone conclusion, keep in mind that Google is a software company. Like Microsoft And we haven't seen Microsoft release a branded PC of its own. And Xbox, Microsoft's big foray into hardware, has lost about $4 billion.
Google hasn't learned much from Microsoft, but that's a lesson the search giant should keep handy.
Source:www.cnbc.com
To wit, we've already reported the myriad possibilities and puzzle pieces pointing to a possible cell-phone market entry by the search giant. More than a hundred engineers dedicated to the mobile market; the hiring of Danger Inc. co-founder and T-Mobile Sidekick developer Andy Rubin; the acquisition of wireless and net upstart Grand Central; the lead role the company took in laying down the ground rules of the upcoming FCC wireless spectrum auction; its cozy partnership with Apple and its iPhone, with Google CEO Eric Schmidt sitting on Apple's board.
Which brings us to today and the front page story by our partners at the Wall Street Journal waxing philosophic about just how truly possible a "gPhone" is. But the Journal mentions several compelling new developments: that Google has developed prototype handsets; that the company has opened discussions, preliminary though they are, with Verizon and T-Mobile (did I mention the Rubin hiring?); and the spending of "hundreds of millions of dollars" on focused mobile spending.
There's a lot going on here. Seems like everyone recognizes the importance of wireless as the key catalyst in tech. Nokia released earnings today and the company announces that it sold 100 million handsets over the last quarter alone. That's a staggering figure, and with BlackBerry's continued success even in the face of the buzz iPhone still generates, the wireless market might be so hot that Google won't be able to afford to ignore it. Remember, that was the same argument used to convince everyone that Apple was entering the mobile market.
"If the wireless access growth really grows aggressively, which we really haven't seen much growth there to date, there is an opportunity for Google to monetize that," says Cowen's Jim Friedland.
When it comes to wireless, Google has made no bones about ponying up the funds to own spectrum and build out a network. The company's VP in charge of its wireless initiatives, Chris Sacca, tells me: "What do we have to do to insure Americans have choice of where they go on the internet, and make sure the internet is accessible to the broadest number of people possible." He says "we'll do what it takes," with the company already announcing it would spend nearly $5 billion to own a wireless spectrum. That's all network-oriented.
A handset is a different animal, though insiders at Google I'm talking to won't completely rule it out. However, they do say it's a long shot. Sniffing around; playing around; toying with different technologies. That's what Google does with its multi-billion dollar R&D budget. Something might come of it; or not. But before you jump to a gPhone as a forgone conclusion, keep in mind that Google is a software company. Like Microsoft And we haven't seen Microsoft release a branded PC of its own. And Xbox, Microsoft's big foray into hardware, has lost about $4 billion.
Google hasn't learned much from Microsoft, but that's a lesson the search giant should keep handy.
Source:www.cnbc.com
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