Google Phone

AT&T isn’t standing well back from Android because they’re worried Google are after their subscriber revenue, oh no; it’s down to a general confusion over what new functionality the platform brings, what security is in place, and - most ironically - how easy it is to access third-party email providers if GMail is the default. That’s the current line of the carrier’s spokesperson, after being pushed to comment on Android and the OHA when journalists decided “[we’re] analysing the situation” wasn’t clear enough.

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With it seemingly fashionable for tech companies to leap across their traditional gadget boundaries and start making cellphones, can we expect a previously gaming-focused manufacturer to echo Google and Apple and bring out a combination mobile/gaming handheld?  That’s exactly what Crave’s Andrew Lim has suggested, and he’s fingering one of the industry’s most innovative players as ideal for the task: Nintendo. 

“Nintendo has demonstrated with the DS and Wii that it understands usability and aesthetics to such an extent that any phone it would produce would not only look beautiful, but would also be extremely usable in terms of hardware and software” Andrew Lim, Crave

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From small suggestions big rumors grow; after a flippant post over at UK paper The Guardian, talk is growing of Google’s possible plans to buy out Skype from auction giant eBay.  Article author, Jemima Kiss, suggests that negotiations are already in process, with eBay seemingly wanting to rid itself of the VoIP service it has found surprisingly hard to monetise:

“This makes sense on a number of levels, particularly because it fits with Google’s ambitions for disrupting the mobile industry through its new open mobile phone development platform Android, and for eBay - which was recently forced to admit that it had paid too much for Skype” Jemima Kiss, Guardian

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Far be it from us to suggest that too much cellphone use addles the brain, but Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin seems to have taken leave of his senses with a belligerent and crowing outcry against the prospect of Android and Google’s gPhones wading into the cellular market.  In an interview [registration required] predominantly concerning Sarin’s opinion of the iPhone (unsurprisingly he wasn’t all that impressed at the device, which is available exclusively on arch-rival UK network O2) the Vodafone boss described the “unique gift” of the billing relationship between carrier and consumer:

“The simple fact that we have the customer and billing relationship is a hugely powerful thing that nobody can take away from us” Arun Sarin, CEO, Vodafone

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Perhaps most developers won’t be so lucky as to get to test their software on Google’s Android prototypes, but the open-source nature of the platform means options aren’t limited to official reference handsets.  Bug Labs, who manufacture an “open source, web-enabled, modular software and hardware platform” called BUG, have announced that their segmented device will be compatible with the Android platform and as such could be used as a way to prototype and test new software for the upcoming gPhone market.

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Ironically, after preaching about anti-fragmentation agreements and partnership synergy - intended to ensure that no member of the OHA alters the Android platform to an extent where development becomes only partly compatible - it could be down to the Google-led system that Java suffers serious fractures.  Sun engineers are reportedly concerned that the specially modified form of Java that Android uses, as opposed to an off-the-shelf version that cellphones might normally adopt, could lead to a schism of developers creating software for one form of the language or another, spoiling the company’s “write once, run anywhere” selling-point.

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While rumor about Google’s plans for the FCC spectrum auction in January abound, developers are busy burying themselves in the Android SDK and exploring the limits of the platform’s flexibility.  It’s looking like a complete paradigm change from the established mainstream cellphone market, by virtue of a combination of highly precise options and the Open Handset Alliance’s high profile membership.  Customisation will settle at a number of different levels: David Somner, director of software development for BlueKey Wireless Systems, envisages a model where users can readily alter the software appearance of an Android phone in a way previously open only to initial manufacturers and carriers applying corporate branding.

“I can easily foresee several thousand programs being developed just for changing the look, feel and layout of the screen, customizing the fonts that people use, using custom images and sounds for everything.  In the end, every user’s handset can be totally customized just for that one user with no restrictions” David Somner, BlueKey Wireless Systems

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Despite many suggestions that Google’s FCC bid talk was more of a ploy to secure open-access clauses in the 700MHz spectrum contract, the Wall Street Journal is convinced that the search company will push ahead and declare an intention-to-bid by the December 3rd deadline.  Quoting “several people familiar with the matter” the paper suggests Google fears a loss of goodwill in Washington should it pull out of the running, and this - together with the confirmation that building the financial backing would be eminently possible thanks to Wall Street support - has led them to plan to bid on their own, without the expected partners.

“The complexity of the possible bidding scenarios and auction outcomes has led Google executives to believe they would benefit from the flexibility of bidding alone. They were also concerned about alienating allies by selecting some and not others as bid partners” WSJ

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Unsurprisingly, Android-powered cellphones will - unless significantly fettled by manufacturers - come with GMail compatibility.  If your email, calendar and contacts are of another flavour, however, the good news is that Funambol are developing what they’re calling the first open-source mobile messaging and sync client for the platform.  Already responsible for software on 1,500,000 handsets that manages push-email, calendar and contact synchronisation - including most recently a version for the iPhone - Funambol also provide commercial PIM systems, although it’s the open-source version that’s most likely to appear on gPhones.

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As developers get to grips with the Android SDK, we’re beginning to see fledgling apps and promises to support Google’s platform emerge from the coding community.  It’s not all Google Maps mashups, either; Stephane Daury, for instance, has done an initial port of the WPhone mobile WordPress client, finding himself surprised in the process by how straightforward it has been (even without taking a touchscreen for granted). 

“I was getting all geared up to start taking on the challenge of fully supporting the rich interface on the Android platform … But now having found the time to download the cross-platform SDK and trying it on my development sandbox, I’ll venture to say that it might just be a bit easier than I thought” Stephane Daury, WPhone Admin Plugin

Meanwhile, the shocking sight of Skypop’s Bruce Leak in shorts (you can see the video after the cut) only vaguely detracts from how impressive their preliminary exploration of Android has been.  Day one, apparently, coder and CTO Timo Bruck bypassed the “hello Android” test app and instead whipped up a Sudoku game; day two, he was onto friend-finding services similar to the Buddy-Beacon on Helio cellphones.

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