Google’s ambitions in the mobile industry have suffered a setback after it was reported a new handset powered by the search giant’s software is now unlikely to appear until the end of the year.
The so-called ‘Gphone‘ – a handset powered by an operating system Google has helped design – had been slated for release in the second half of the year, but Google now says it will more likely appear in the fourth quarter.
Or something like that.
A director of mobile platforms at Google told the Wall Street Journal that the development of the Gphone, which requires the involvement of handset manufacturers as well as mobile operators, was taking its time. “This is where the pain happens – we’re very, very close,” he said…
T-Mobile USA is hoping it will be able to deliver an Android-powered phone in the fourth quarter, but that release is taking up so much of Google attention and Sprint Nextel – another Android partner – will not be able to put out a device until next year, according to reports.
Uh-huh.
I think they may be about to miss the boat on this one and this is something that can impact their bottom line. Apple for one looks to be interested in tieing users to their web sites directly which means less google searching.
Mmmm….Things like book marks in browsers most likely do cost google money as well.
It’s only a 2 month delay, big whoop.
#2 – answer 1, “If you believe?”
Answer 2, “Uh, there are 3 months in a quarter.”
That stinks. I was hoping to have the option for an Android phone by this fall. I probably need a newer phone before then. Sigh…
Fun platform to write code on – it’s probably on high end of the scale with iPhone SDK for that. Nokia truly sucks, can’t stand Carbide. Palm is Mac OS 7. And MS’s mobile platform is a multi-pronged weird mishmash.
OK as a developer it would be most fun to do Android or iPhone. I just have no clue the Gphone strategy is. Is it just another handset platform? Is it about bringing Google to the mobile world (it’s been done)? Is about a new delivery platform away from the traditional telcos? Has anyone physically used this platform outside of an emulator?
Technically interesting. No clue what it will look like in a year.
I suspect Google realized that they need one Helluva slam dunk to make a dent in the mobile phone market and that their current Gphone didn’t deliver.
Time to stop and rethink.
Is this bad?
If I am understanding this correctly, they used to say that the gphone would be released in the second half of the year, which is a 6 month timespan.
Now they say it will be released in the 4th quarter of the year (and I assume they talk about 2008), so they’re still within the first timeframe given, they have even narrowed it further.
Vista’s release was repeatedly delayed in order to make “quality improvements”. That turned out pretty well. . .
Google should do what Apple did:
Come out with the gPhone now, but with a lousy connection and no support for 3rd-party apps.
Then in a year, come out with the 3G version and a proper SDK.
That way they can charge everyone twice.
#10 – Couldn’t afford one, huh Chuck?
http://tinyurl.com/3rf9j3
>> # 10 chuck said, on June 23rd, 2008 at 1:21 pm
>> That way they can charge everyone twice.
Not everyone..just sheep.
Google is becoming to large. They have stopped providing what I want and started pushing what they want on me. Google Earth refusing to install where I want it was just the start. I see the next Microsoft here. Hang on Yahoo, you will win by default.