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Google Portable Demands, Hardware Rumors

By Doug Mohney, Contributing Editor

As Google dictates to manufacturers how it wants its Chrome-books built – not that we don’t have enough categories of portable devices already - rumors abound that the company will get into the mobile handset business. Does the world really need a dedicated Gphone and a Gbook/Chromebook?

 

First, let's deal with facts: Google announced its vision for Chrome OS last week and dictated what hardware should run it. Chrome OS is, depending on who you ask, is a Linux-based netbook operating system or a glorified browser designed to load very fast and on lighter hardware. By another name, the Chrome OS/hardware combo is a thin client designed to talk to the bigger Internet. 

 

Built from the ground up to work with "the cloud"/Web/Internet and designed to be more secure than everyone else floating around, Chrome OS is "all about the Web" and Web apps; no conventional desktop apps, no weekly Tuesday security patches/updates and the like. It's also open source, so anyone can work with it.

 

Google has specified that the "Chromebook" will have full sized keyboards, no hard drives, only solid state disks and will only use specific WiFi (News - Alert) chipsets and adapters for connectivity. Manufacturers can choose either Intel or ARM architectures in building their devices and Google expects to have hardware out by Christmas 2010. The price point on the device is also uncertain, but could be as low as under $200, or about the price of a holiday discounted netbook with a hard drive and capable of running stand-alone Windows apps.

 

Execs overseeing Chrome freely admit that the Chromebook is designed to be a companion device to a desktop machine and won't be a replacement; think of it as your kick-around device to access the Web. It isn't clear how well, or if it all, it will be able to run stand-alone apps, and if you happen to need something running under Windows, well, you're out of luck.

 

About the only thing the Chrome OS announcement does is give Microsoft time to rethink how it is pricing Windows 7 Starter edition on netbooks. When the Chromebook finally arrives on store shelves, it will be compared/have to compete with netbooks, smartbooks, potentially thin-and-light laptops, and maybe even a tablet PC or two. Not to mention people who have cross-bred the Android (News - Alert) OS with netbook hardware to see what they can come up with.

 

Rumors of a Google Phone (News - Alert) have existed as long as the company announced its plans for the Android operating system and fed by the company's statements that it would bid on 700 MHz radio spectrum licenses. However, Google didn't win any licenses, so handset talk died down until recently. 

 

The latest talk is that Google will have its own pure-bred Android phone that it plans to roll out in early 2010. According to insiders, Google has contracted with LG or Samsung (News - Alert) and the device will be a data-only device on a 3G service with native VoIP rather than a "true" cell phone in order to avoid to infuriating handset manufacturers who are falling all over themselves to build Android phones.

 

As a data device leveraging VoIP – and the company's purchase of Google Voice and Gizmo5 (News - Alert) – Google would be able to support voice calls and phone numbers. TechCrunch sources said AT&T is interested at bidding for the business and willing to provide data service to Google – with some strings -- to provide the network service for around $20 a month per device.

 

Why Google would want to have its own phone and service when service providers can't get Android phones deployed fast enough is beyond me, but then again if the company thinks it can make headway into overturning the netbook market, anything is possible.

 

Doug Mohney is a contributing editor for TMCnet and a 20-year veteran of the ICT space. To read more of his articles, please visit columnist page.

Edited by Amy Tierney