Category Archives: gadgets

Google Phone announcement expected soon

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Om Malik is reporting on several aspects of the coming Google Mobile operating system and/or “Google Phone” that will likely drive many phones and be available through several carriers which may include T Mobile and Sprint.

As noted before here at the blog, a Google mobile OS could be one of the most provocative applications in years.   If the Google phones create a powerful ad distribution mechanism and place that on top of the data and voice services Google could reduce the cost of cellular service significantly  (or keep the costs fairly high and rake in tons of mobile advertising revenues).   In both cases Google wins big if their phone is widely adopted.   Unlike the Social Network space where Google has a poor track record with Orkut, Google shines when developing great technology and combining it with advertising.   For this reason I predict a huge Google win with the Google Phone.

Bye Bye Sprint, Cell ya later!

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Thinking about moving away from Sprint now that I can hopefully unlock my Treo 650 from the evil clutches of the marginal Sprint signal here in Southern Oregon.   With a theoretically robust national network and a top of the line phone you’d think I’d get a signal on, say, all the key cities on the main drag here which is Highway 101.  But it is not so – I’ve had connetivity problems even in Medford which is the largest city on I5 for hundreds of miles.

I’m also underwhelmed by the Treo 650, though I’d have to say the Google maps integration is nothing short of brilliant.    When I tested some iPhones in Atlantic City I was blown away by the mapping feature from Google.   Treo 650 mapping is inferior due to the small touchscreen but still very, very nice – one of those applications that Ben Franklin would have flipped his wig for (and then probably improved on – that dude ROCKED as a technologist!)

So, when Google gets busy with the new phone or software I’m gone, Sprint.  Unless you sign up with them and get me a better phone with better features and cheaper cost.   I’m not holding my breath on that.

G Phone Musings

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David Berlind has a very insightful piece about the upcoming offering from Google in the cell phone space.   Usually this is called the “G Phone” (or maybe “gPhone”?  “gee, Phone!”), and it’s certainly coming soon to a handheld device near you.  

It is still not clear if Google will actually endorse the hardware as well as the mobile software they’ve been working on, but there will be a phone by next year (I still predict it’ll be out in time for Christmas), and it will feature rich integration with Google maps, search, and probably a bunch of other clever Googley applications developed for the explosive mobile market.

Berlind notes that we are all seeking technological “religious experiences” with our devices, and the current crop of phones, even including the iPhone, do not deliver enough of them.

David is harder on the Apple iPhone than I have been but I agree that the holy grail ain’t here yet, and also agree that Google, learning from iPhone’s mistakes and all the hype and feedback about that project, might hit the cellular nail on the head with the gPhone.      I predict a major Google phone innovation in using advertising to defray the cost of calling.   This could take many forms but I think a clever integration of highly targeted advertising during web browsing and text messaging could be fairly inoffensive to users but provide a decent portion of the revenues that the carrier would need.   Frankly all Google needs to do is reduce the cellular cost enough to the customer that they’ll switch over from other carriers like ATT and Sprint.     These companies have done little to create brand loyalty and a better system will have users leaving in droves.

But we may have to wait until 2008 to find out how good the gPhone is going to be.  

Unless they are out by Christmas, in which case I may actually do my Christmas shopping early this year.

Palm Centro. At $99 the Centro has a great price but still a too-small screen!

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Palm’s new phone – the “Centro” – offers a price breakthrough for “higher end” smart phones.  With a mid-october launch date.  My prediction is that this is too little too late from Palm, already struggling to regain a market.     The Treo was a significant improvement over earlier phones and PDAs, but Apple’s iPhone effectively blew the Treo design out of the water.   Others will copy the iPhone and other good smart phone features but it seems Palm has just issued a “cheap” version of the Treo.     This was too little too late to compete with the iPhone and coming Google phone

Palm Centro intro from Palm website

This *may* work depending on the expectation of users.   If people who have held off on iPhones decide they can now afford a device that has the enhanced functionality of the Centro AND if the Google phone is delayed past Christmas (unlikely in my view), the Centro may be the boost Palm seems to desparately need.   However, unlike the iPhone the Centro is unlikely to create a huge buzz.   Unlike the iPhone which was a masterpiece of clever innovation and hype, the Centro can only brag about a price breakthrough – it is nothing like a technology breakthrough.    A large screen at this price might have made this the “must have” gadget for high schoolers and soccer moms, but I don’t see this taking off.

The Google phone is likely to come out before Christmas and if it’s in this price range and more like the iPhone it’ll be the device of the year and yet another feather in Google’s oversized cap (and oversized market cap!)

IMHO LARGE screen sizes will be the key to success as phones evolve.

More on Google Phone from Business Week

Google will strike gold with mobile OS

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Well, Google does it again with yet another online brilliancy. How do you market a “Google Phone” without paying a dime for hardware development? Engaget is reporting that Google appears more likely to release a mobile OS to multiple phone vendors rather than develop it’s own phone. This is a *really clever* approach because it will allow Google to maintain core competency focus on software and advertising, something that founders appear to think has been lacking lately with the many aquisitions. Also, this will bring market forces to bear to quickly lower the price of iPhone-like mobile devices. How does Google benefit from lower prices on browsing phones? Why, ADVERTISING of course! Ads remain about 98% of Google revenue and mobile ads are arguably the online sector with the most explosive growth potential. Rather than go head to head with the iPhone Google will continue to sing it’s praises and then simply scoop up all the juicy advertising revenues as users demand Googley browsing capabilities on their phones. Vendors may get squeezed by customers to lower prices on the phones but Google still comes out a big ad winner.

No wonder they can throw such a lavish Google Party every year!

Palm Treo Problems

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Ha – I just wrote about how unhappy I’ve been with my Treo 650 and to spite me it went into an endless loop thing after a hot synch and now the phone won’t turn on. I did find this nice Treo Troubleshooting forum post which has a lot of helpful stuff and links, but I also am deciding that my price point for a Google Phone is going up – way up if I have to buy a new phone in any case.

The Treo is too much an example of tech designed for tech people rather than regular folks. It’s a good phone though Sprint rural connectivity has been very lacking and I always find myself wanting a better browser and also a modem for my laptop. My old little sprint cell gave great modem capabilities even with regular service (Sprint only supported them in a marginally weird way after I bought a Sprint branded but “no longer supported” connection cable and software). I think they were gearing up for the EVDO stuff.

(hours later) I’m not finding an easy fix for the Treo problems so it looks like a complete reset will be needed. I’m reading for a Google phone now.

Google Phone almost here

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Rediff is reporting that the Google Phone is coming within weeks. I’m skeptical it’ll be available that soon but I think this is a brilliant play for Google, striking at the hot iPhone market with a device I’m guessing will be similar, a bit better due to lessons learned from the iPhone, and cheaper. With Google’s branding power and very positive tech vibe they’ll be selling these as fast as they can produce them and if they provide the most robust connectivity they’ll beat the iPhone handily over time.

My price point? I’ve been wondering about this. My Treo 650 pisses me off about every time I use it, but I hate to trash that little investment. Examples of Treo deficiencies are the endless loop after synching which I just experienced this morning after loading my Google Party Pictures and now fear I’ll have every synch, a cumbersome proprietary desktop system, shitty modem capabilities, and a screen that is too small to use comfortably for browsing. In my view the key enhancement Google could bring would be a larger screen than the iPhone, though the iPhone screen is “large enough” to browse and view movies comfortably. But at $500 I’m keeping the Treo another year or so because applications like Google maps in Java give me “iPhone like” capabilities on the Treo, which I put to good use in the Silicon Valley traffic and road nightmare. At least California has very good signage. New Jersey could learn a lot from Caltrans.  However if Google can get down into the $350 range it’ll be hard to pass and at $250 I’d be in for sure, so go Google Phone go!   In any case I’ll be happy to switch away from Sprint which in rural Oregon is shorthand for “no connectivity”, not to mention the roaming I’m worried about while I was in the heart of silicon valley.   Hey sprint, can you hear me yet saying “I can’t hear you!”

Google Phone coming in 2008

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Computer World says that Google may market an iPhonesque mobile device next year.  I bet it’ll be great.    I wrote an article over at the TechDirt Insight Community about this a few months ago (before the news from Computerworld – I didn’t realize Google had a phone project in the hopper already).

Here’s what I wrote over there in response to an insight community issue:

Google is in a spectacular position to launch a mobile device for many reasons, here are three:

1) Branding power.   Google is already verb “to search online” and could become a noun with the “Google” handheld broadband/phone/pda.

2) Speed of development due to corporate structure.

3) Existing prototype.
Apple’s iPhone already exists as a new standard for this type of device, effectively saving years of prototyping.   The Google device will have all this functionality PLUS better web integration (thanks to Google’s greater familiarity with online systems and also will have a LARGER touchscreen, which will ultimately determine the winner in this category because browsing ease is the greatest appeal of these devices.

Apple has hyped and branded this type of device already.   However, it will have poor initial adoption due to cost and competition from inferior but similar devices.     Google can subsidize the devices in part by letting this device Google’s mobile advertising platforms, undercutting Apple’s cost by hundreds of dollars per device.

Features and functionality:  Much like the Apple iPhone, the device would have a relatively large touchscreen interface (but larger than iPhone –  a key marketing point for the Google).  Flexible web browsing without mobile programming required for sites.   The device will provide a quality phone, high quality camera, and have PDA functionality.   Pictures, voice, and PDA functions will automatically integrate with an online control panel the user can access from the device or from any computer.   Google mail and Calendar online entries would synch with the device to allow offline mailing and calendar access.   This feature would also serve to enhance Google’s existing Calendar and mail which suffer from “only available online” challenges.

What would you do to make it a valuable addition to the Google product portfolio?

Mobile advertising is an explosive market, and without hardware control Google may lose market share to companies that have hardware advantages.   Also, for reasons stated above Google could create a superior device, thus winning both as a hardware and as an advertising provider.

Good luck Google.   As a stockholder in Yahoo I sure wish they would create this type of thing but I fear … they won’t or can’t.   Google can.

 

 

Samsung Q1 looks pretty cool

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Samsung launched the Samsung Q1 tablet PC today. I’ve paid virtually no attention to this market since attending MIX06 last year in Las Vegas and playing around with some of what were then the latest and greatest ultra mobile PC devices. I’m beginning to think Scoble is right – the tablet PC will eventually become a key device for most of us – it just has not got the respect it deserves, perhaps because early models were too far ahead of their time.

My Treo 650 was the best phone last year but I’ve never been happy with the tiny screen that makes browsing problematic at best.   I’d be happy to carry around a somewhat larger gadget if it gave me decent browsing capabilities.    I think the Apple iPhone is on to something with it’s relatively large touchscreen interface.

Press Release on Samsung Q1

Mobile Muppet Laboratory at Disneyland’s California Adventure

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The Mobile Muppet Laboratory is roaming Disney’s California Adventure this spring.  I’m glad our family is heading down their in a few weeks for spring break.   We’ll be able to see how this advanced animatronics display is interacting with people all over the park.

Engadget and the LA Times  seem to approach this using the “will this put Mickey Mouse out of work” angle which is unfortunate because the big story on robotics is 1) Robots are here to stay and as AI improves they’ll be taking over more and more jobs, allowing humans to blossom in creative rather than mundane physical tasks.   2) Robots have been helping us for decades – they’ve just been in “boring” jobs like car assembly.  3) Robots are cool.