Google gets ready for cell phones
Here's the link NY Times on Google
Basically, what intrigues me is that a software company that didn't exist ten years ago can now be so large that it can buy frequency to develop and launch it's own cell phone network. Obviously, there are a lot of articles that you can track down and I'm only summarizing one possible scenario.
However, I see Google potentially offering a device that is A) as cool as the iPhone and B) offers Flash as part of the browser experience. That would (will?) be one cool device indeed.
If this fascinates you, you don't have to go far to get into more speculation. For example, try www.google-phone.com
And what about Apple? Maybe they will bid on the frequency spectrum? Fun to watch and definitely good for customers in the end.
What do you think will happen? Let me know with your comments...
Comments
The point isn't what runtime(s) is/are offered on such devices. It is really how low the barrier to entry is for scripters to write applications and hack the device. Flash gets a win on this front (ActionScript/ECMAScript is superior to Java for low barriers to extensibility), but the Flash runtime is still a walled garden.
[DR - an interesting perspective. I don't come from the programming background, so can't really comment on that front. For me, I just want the cleanest, fastest, most transparent user experience I can get. Right now, the lack of Flash is a bummer for me in the iPhone. Conversely, if Google puts a bunch of ads in my interface, I may be a bit turned off by that as well...time will tell! Thanks for the comment.]
Posted by: Sean Upton | December 4, 2007 12:18 PM
Are you talking about a specific phone from Google, as opposed to or in conjunction with their open source Linux-based Android mobile operating system (http://code.google.com/android)?
Cause I agree that it would make sense for Google to have its own, specific Google device, but the road Google's taking with Android and the Open Handset Alliance is a smart one, too, I think.
[DR - Ben, I've seen and read articles on both concepts. I can see either scenario working and honestly, Google feels big enough to pull it off.]
Posted by: Ben Feldman | December 5, 2007 06:28 PM