Report: Google Phones by Mid-2008

Authored by Scott Goldberg on October 30, 2007 - 4:52am.

New York – Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is expected to announce within the next two weeks software and services that will allow handset makers to bring the search giant’s phones to market by mid-2008, The Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the report, the Google-powered phones will bring together three core competencies: Mapping (Google Maps), Social Networking (YouTube and a Facebook-rival temporarily called “Makamaka,” according to TechCrunch), and Gmail.

The biggest asset, says The Wall Street Journal, will be Google’s plan to “open” the phone’s software, meaning independent developers will have tools to build new features for the phone.

“The most likely scenario from a Google perspective is to build some, if you will, inspirational platform [applications]; but primarily focus on getting third parties to do it because that's where the innovation will come from," said Google CEO Eric Schmidt, at the All Things Digital conference in May.

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSWEN201320071030?feedType=RSS&feedName=internetNews&rpc=22&sp=true (Reuters)

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/29/googles-response-to-facebook-maka-maka/ (TechCrunch)