Rumors have floated blogs and news sites for months about an upcoming Google Phone. Some rumors were backed up also by solid proofs and it was just that Google officials didn’t like it that way. Now, Google are announcing their intention for open phone coalition. Current Google listed partners on this are Sprint, Motorolla (must be a thin phone!), Samsung, and NTT DoCoMo from Japan. The OS for that phone is so called now G-System, which is based on Linux (remember sometime back people talked about Google version of Linux… here it is!), and is promising to give internet access at PC-type speed. The phone will also be open for developers through developer tools to integrate and implement applications on top of it. Google here is playing it real smart, utilizing the love of the public to their advantage, contrary to what Jobs did to his fans for the initial launch. It didn’t stop them though from running even World of Warcraft did it?

No solid release date is given yet, but a worldwide shipping is planned for Spring. I somehow don’t feel like buying that promise, but it still raises the question. Shall I hold on to my half-dead Nokia 6600 until the Google Phone, or will it be a beta thing that is not worth the trouble?

[CORRECTION!] Contrary to all posts, Google have clarified there is not going to be a GPhone. Instead, there is going to be  Andriod, and Open Handset Alliance that is hoped to be the foundation for many new phones to come. A completely open platform for mobile devices that includes the operating system, user interface, and applications. What’s going to be unique about this platform is that all applications are treated equally. I.e., core phone apps and 3rd party apps have the same access to the phone’s capabilities, removing any borders on what developers can do. Mobile development has been a disputed area for quite some time, specially for J2ME apps which some kept promising will pick up, and up till now it didn’t as they’ve hoped for. If such a framework can give higher and more standard integration to phone capabilities, many among my selves are gonna be interested in giving it a thorough look.

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