Google GPhone Rumours Continue - OS Only?

Google GPhone Rumours Continue - OS Only? There’s been endless rumours, denials and loud speculation on the web about the existence of Goggle’s GPhone project, but a report today in the New York Times seems to confirm that the search engine giants are indeed about to release their own mobile operating system and possibly a handset.

According to the article, Google has been working on a secret mobile phone project for the last two years, and will soon be unveiling a Linux-based system that it plans to give away to phone manufacturers.

The New York Times claims that Google will take on Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm, and, quite possibly, the iPhone with its own compelling operating system, stuffed full of Google freebie goodness.

Google GPhone Rumours Continue - OS Only? A source told the paper: “The essential point is that Google’s strategy is to lead the creation of an open-source competitor to Windows Mobile. It will put it in the open-source world and take the economics out of the Windows Mobile business.”

It’s claimed that Google has already been showing off prototype devices to phone manufacturers, with new applications adding to Google’s already-impressive portfolio of mobile programs, with a new mobile browser in the works.

There’s some disagreement amongst analysts whether Google will physically manufacture the GPhones (see web-leaked mock-up image of uncertain provenance on this page) or just focus solely on software, and how much advertising will play a part in the venture.

Details on the GPhone concept are expected to be revealed before the end of the year, with the Times saying that phones based on the new technology could be available as early as next year.

For Google, Advertising and Phones Go Together (NY Times)