by Playfuls Staff |
18th December 2006
According to The Observer, Google seems to be interested in developing a “branded Google phone. The Observer also reports that Google has held talks with Orange about a multi-billion-dollar
partnership to create a 'Google phone' which makes it easy to search the web. [more]
Also, the article states that a
source close to the talks, said: 'Google are software experts and are doing
some amazing work compressing data so that the mobile user gets a much better
experience. They don't know so much about mobiles, but they are eager to learn
from Orange's
years of experience.'
The Observer believes that
the mobile phone will be manufactured by HTC, a Taiwanese firm specialising in
smart phones and Personal Data Assistants (PDAs),
In November, Eric Schmidt, Google
CEO, said for Reuters, that he thinks that in the future mobile phones should
be free for the consumers. Not for everyone, but for those who will accept to
watch targeted forms of advertising. According to Reuters,
Schmidt said that the mobile phones are used eight to 10 hours a day for
talking, texting or Web access.
"Your mobile phone should be
free," Schmidt told Reuters. "It just makes sense that subsidies
should increase" as advertising rises on mobile phones.
Eric Schmidt added also that he believes
that mobile phones may never become totally free to the consumer. At the time, he
also said that Google had no plans to directly give away phones itself.
It is believed that another tech
company, Apple, is preparing also a mobile phone. In November, Forbes reported
that the Cupertino
company has ordered 12 mln mobile handsets to Hon Hai Precision Industry, a
Taiwan Source company. The main source of this information was a Chinese
newspaper, the Commercial Times, quoted by Forbes.
The Commercial Times didn’t reveal
the financial details of the contract, but it said that Apple will launch the
mobile phone in the first half of next year.
According to a study released by
research company IDG in October, users of mobile phones will snap up a record 1
billion this year. According to the study mature markets are also experiencing
strong demand for replacement handsets as consumers opt for new features such
as music phones and email-enabled devices.
The report said that a record
total of 254.6 million mobile phones were sold in the third quarter and
predicted an even stronger holiday season with mobile phones appearing high on
people's wish lists.
