Google Phone

After three rounds of stability just under the $4.6bn reserve threshold yesterday, round 17 of bidding in the 700MHz spectrum auction saw a figure of $4,713,823,000 bid and, as a result, the open-access provisos which Google pushed for will now definitely be included in the contract of whoever wins the so-called “beachfront” band.

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Rumors are circulating that Dell and Google will use the Android platform to launch a new, Dell-branded cellphone at the 3GSM conference in Barcelona next month.  The handset, which would mark Dell’s return to the mobile device market after they ceased creating PDAs, would leverage Google’s online application suite in what would likely be a cost-effective device.

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Another day, another Linux-based cellphone OS: it’s the turn of Azingo to launch their Azingo Mobile platform, based on the existing work of the LiMo Foundation, as an out-of-the-box suite of mobile applications plugging into a pre-existing middleware framework and kernel.  Like Android, Azingo Mobile is being marketed as a straightforward, low-development-intensive option for manufacturers looking for an OS for their hardware designs; unlike Android, Azingo already have a history with those manufacturers.

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The Editors Cut is reporting that, according to a Berlin-based reporter for Total Telecom, T-Mobile will be launching an Android-powered handset in at least one of its geographical regions.

“T-Mobile is set to introduce this year a handset based on Android software, which is likely to be unsubsidised”

While little else is known about the rumor - and the Total Telecom site itself bears no mention of it yet - T-Mobile is known as one of the Open Handset Alliance partners and the concept of them bringing out an Android-based cellphone is not especially remarkable.

We’ll bring you more information as we get it.

Following feedback from developers, Google has made “significant updates” to the Android SDK that will be released in several weeks time.  Although the full list of changes is yet to be announced, both UI and API have been enhanced.  As a result, Google has put back the deadline to submit entries to the Android Developer Challenge part I to the 14th April, both to give time to take advantage of the new functionality and to satisfy coders who have requested an extension during which they could build and polish their entries.

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From February 8th, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will be running a class in Android software development, as part of a new program centred on phone-based programming.  Led by Professor Hal Abelson, the course comes under the remit of the Computer Science program, and will feature guest instructors including Google’s Rich Miner, ConnectedBit’s Dave Mitchell and Eric Carlson, and MIT’s Rajeev Surati and Andrew Yu.  A broad range of topics will apparently be covered, including Location Based Services which Google has already tipped as the next phase in cellphone use and mobile advertising.

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If Sun seemed vaguely anxious about Android before now - fearing its non-standard implementation of Java might fragment the language - then now they’re coming across as borderline belligerent.  Speaking at the Java Mobile & Embedded Developer Days conference last week, Sun vice-president James Gosling declined to cite his company’s position on Android, claiming Google was yet to define the platform’s business model.

“It’s impossible to have a position, right, because there is no data.  Over the last couple of years, Google’s been showing their phone at telecom conferences all over the world and with different business models, all of which really scared the carriers and handset makers. And then with Android, they put out a bag of code with no business model.  Unless the day comes when they say what they’re going to do with it, it’s just a bag of code sitting out there” James Gosling, VP, Sun

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Last year we suggested that, rather than Microsoft or Apple, Nokia was Android’s main competitor; since then, the Finnish company has announced Q4 2007 sales of €15,7bn ($23bn), an increase of 34-percent over the same quarter the previous year, and strong performance in all regions bar the US.  Today, however, comes the next step in Nokia’s plans to rival the Open Handset Alliance: they’ve made a €104m ($153) bid for Trolltech, a multi-platform Linux developer responsible for the software currently found running Google Earth, Skype, and a variety of mobile devices including Sony’s Mylo messenger.

“The technology landscape evolves and, for Nokia, software plays a major role in our growth strategy for devices, PCs and the integration with the Internet. We continue to focus on areas where we can differentiate and add more value. Common cross-platform layers on top of our software platforms attract innovation and enable Web 2.0 technologies in the mobile space.  Trolltech’s deep understanding of open source software and its strong technology assets will enable both Nokia and others to innovate on our device platforms while reducing time-to-market. This acquisition will also further increase the competitiveness of S60 and Series 40″ Kai Öistämö, Executive Vice President, Devices, Nokia

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As we reported was in the pipeline in late December last year, Google and Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo have reached an agreement whereby Google-powered searches will be the default through the operator’s i-mode portal, keyword based AdWords advertising will be included on search results pages, and handsets will have improved access to Google’s online application suite.  Initially, Google Maps will be preloaded on all handsets and, for those devices with full browsers, Google will be the preset homepage; subsequently Gmail, YouTube and Picasa will all be integrated into the i-mode system.

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The long-awaited (and once delayed) FCC auction for the so-called “beach-front” 700MHz wireless band begins today, with the shortlist (that, at 214 members, isn’t all that short) of potential bidders each hoping to take away one of the five blocks of prime spectrum.  Block C is the most hotly contested, due to its breadth (22MHz) and clustered regions, with big-name players including Google, Verizon Wireless and AT&T all tipped to be interested.

Three rounds of bidding will take place each business day, with information about the highest bid - though not the bidder who has placed it - distributed among participants; there is no set end-date, and the auction ends when no further bids are placed.  Each block has a reserve price: block A at $1.81bn; block B at $1.37bn; block C at $4.64bn; block D at $1.33bn; and block E at $904m, and if those figures fail to be met then a second auction will be scheduled with new reserve prices.

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