Updated, see last paragraph: For a long time there were quite a few rumors about Google making a Gphone, its own hardware device. In the end it came out with Android, a software platform that it is promoting in partnership with 50 odd companies. The platform is still under development, so to speak, as Mountain View-based search company works with partners to iron out the kinks. As we reported earlier, it has hit some speed bumps.
Android, however, shifted attention away from the possibility of Google making its own hardware. Looks like that plan to make Google-branded phone hasn’t been dropped entirely, according to The Hollywood Reporter. One of their reporters is attending Allen & Company’s Sun Valley Retreat for media barons and he attended an impromptu press conference held by Google co-founders Larry Page & Sergey Brin along with CEO Eric Schmidt.
The trio of Google execs also used the opportunity to talk about the inroads the company is making with its own branded mobile phone as a replacement for the iPhone, as well as the Chinese market and how they’re treated there — and even Google’s inhouse educational programs and the salaries and potential of teachers.
The report, I admit is awkwardly worded but I wonder if any of the other reporters actually picked up more details from the tattling trio. It is not clear from the report if all the talk is about Android or if they actually mean a GPhone.The Google-branded handset is a bit like the Abdominal Abominable Snowman - much talked about but rarely seen. I emailed the press hotline and will wait for some clarifications.
Update #1: Michael Arrington says that San Francisco-based The Ammunition Group might be designing the new phone.
Update#2: Peter Kafka checked with some reporters in attendance and found out that there was no specific talk of a handset.
larry: we have android phones obvioulsy. I know that there’s a hypothetical google phone
eric: they’ll call it the google phone no matter what you call it. we’re just going to have to deal with this
Google, still hasn’t replied to our request - it is the weekend after all.
Photo courtesy of our mates at Gizmodo via Googlified.
If this story interests you, check out our
upcoming conference: Mobilize — The Next Generation Mobile Conference
17 trackbacks so far
1:34 AM PT
[...] Om Malik notes, this isn’t a direct quote but rather a summary of what was said by Hollywood Reporter [...]
7:51 AM PT
[...] all this TechCrunch and GigaOm are speculating about the potential (re)emergence of a branded Google phone or [...]
3:05 PM PT
[...] blogosphere that Google may indeed looking to release a mobile phone within the next year. While reports are conflicting, its something to keep an eye out as Google has yet to to take their superior web know how and [...]
4:22 PM PT
[...] Om Malik notes, this isn’t a direct quote but rather a summary of what was said by Hollywood Reporter [...]
5:34 PM PT
[...] Om Malikがコメントしているように、これは直接の引用ではなく、談話をHollywood Reporter紙のDan Cox記者がまとめたものだ。しかし「自社ブランド携帯電話」というのは、GoogleのAndroidプロジェクトからはかけ離れている。Coxのまとめが間違っているのでなければ、この声明は重大な意味を持つ。 [...]
8:15 AM PT
[...] Om Malik notes, this isn’t a direct quote but rather a summary of what was said by Hollywood Reporter [...]
8:23 AM PT
[...] in the Open Handset Alliance and Android, their open-source mobile phone operating system. But now, comments made by the Google co-founders and CEO have many speculating about the Gphone yet [...]
8:31 AM PT
[...] Real? Or Not? (Om Malik/GigaOM) Category: Techmeme | source article link Om Malik / GigaOM: Is Gphone For Real? Or Not? — Updated, see last paragraph: For a long time there were quite a few rumors [...]
1:18 PM PT
[...] Google has announced Open Handset Alliance at the end of last year. The alliance includes HTC, Motorola, LG, and others, aiming to build new handset platform, called Android. Google has put early releases of the OS on Android website, and opened its API for open development. This move is a direct competition to Windows mobile OS, Nokia OS, and IPhone OS. Speculations started last year that Google is planning to produce a new mobile phone (GPhone). Google announced later that its effort with partners was aiming to develop the new OS. It seems that Google planned for such move when it purchased Android company in 2005. Google aims to shape new computing environment that change the way information accessed and shared, according to Google CEO. Thus, Google goes beyond a phone product to an operating system that is hosted on millions of handheld devices around the world. It has been reported that Google CEO, who is an Apple board member has stopped attending Apple board meetings that discuss IPhone, the new major Apple product!. Google has announced a competition to build useful applications on top of Android. Fifty winners have been announced, each prize was 25.000 $. One class at MIT has already developed many applications on Android. To be up to date with the mobile OS news, visit Android site and register with Its RSS. Finally, some rumors says that Google is actually planning to produce its own GPhone. [...]
1:42 PM PT
[...] picked up those comments. Nonetheless, the rumor caught fire and ran rampant on the Internet. GigaOm linked to the story, so did TechCrunch and ReadWriteWeb to name just three. TechCrunch took it a [...]
3:28 PM PT
[...] Is Gphone For Real?, GigaOM [...]
8:16 PM PT
[...] Om Malik notes, this isn’t a direct quote but rather a summary of what was said by Hollywood Reporter [...]
2:02 AM PT
[...] alla rykten (nåja) när de lanserade OHA - Open Hardware Alliance - och operativsystemet Android. Nu tar de fart igen och denna gång med hjälp av grundarna Larry Page och Sergey Brin samt CEO Eric [...]
10:00 AM PT
[...] we have a supposed quote from Google that says they are considering a branded mobile phone: the Gphone lives!!! Doubt [...]
2:00 AM PT
[...] (link) [...]
2:02 AM PT
[...] (link) [...]
5:48 AM PT
[...] Om Malik notes, this isn’t a direct quote but rather a summary of what was said by Hollywood Reporter [...]
12 comments so far
7:09 PM PT
You’ve been watching too many late night ab-machine commercials, Om; isn’t that the Abominable Snowman?
8:21 PM PT
What…you don’t have a snowman in your abdomen?
8:22 PM PT
hmm, “as a replacement for the iPhone” - wonder what Steve Jobs thinks of that plan.
8:56 PM PT
Talk about hubris. ‘Competitor,’ ‘challenger,’ ‘alternative…’ are all words you could use without sounding like a total tool.
10:12 PM PT
No, he was talking about the Abdominal Snowman; the rarely seen apelike animal cryptid said to inhabit late night TV hawking exercise equipment.
10:37 PM PT
Thanks for info Om!
Now i have one lame reason not to switch over to AT&T. I have been one loyal and disappointed customer of Verizon wireless.
Hopefully Verizon wireless gets the Gphone and all the verizon uses get some good phones.
I don’t mind waiting another 6 more months for Gphone via verizon. But i also read that Gphone might be coming from TMobile.
Cheers, Nag
10:53 PM PT
@Adam
You got me on that. Sorry about the spelling mistake. I fixed it, thanks to your eagle eyed editing.
10:54 PM PT
@others…. you make a mistake you are going to get made fun of. what can i say. go ahead fellas :-)
10:55 PM PT
@Siry…. yup. I just wish they did one thing well that is not search or advertising. to be honest, they are not even doing search well these days - it is becoming virtually impossible to find stuff on the big g.
12:46 AM PT
I love to see the Android running on my Nokia N810. It seems like the system is nearly there. The browser is wonderful and fast.
It’s such a great idea to develop such a system and make it run on different devices. I now have an OpenMoko which is totally open. Someone should port Android to it.
4:01 AM PT
Looks interesting, can’t wait.. Keep us posted OM.
10:23 AM PT
Much as I would love a phone from Google, I wonder if their strength really lies in design - the strength of most of their web offerings for instance lie more in being utilitarian.
Leave a Comment