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We didn’t get a chance to follow up on this on Friday, but Google has officially announced their intentions to bid in the coming 700 Mhz spectrum auction. It had been assumed that the company would put down billions for the spectrum, but they had not registered their intent with the FCC until Friday. They’re looking to become fully ensconced in the wireless world, having formed the Open Handset Alliance in November. Now they could have their own carrier on which to run the software (though they don’t necessarily need one — Sprint and T-Mobile are part of the Alliance).

Posted in 700 MHz spectrum, Google on December 3rd, 2007
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We can only provide a sliver of this information, as our “free preview” of the Wall Street Journal covers the first paragraph and a half of this report. The gist, though, is that Google plans to officially announce their intent to bid on the 700 MHz spectrum. More as it comes.

[Wall Street Journal]

Posted in 700 MHz spectrum, Google on November 30th, 2007
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The New York Times Bits blog raises an interesting point. Mobile software developers are already developing on too many platforms, including Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm, Reasearch In Motion, and even the iPhone is opening doors to third-party developers. So why would they want to take on another platform, specifically Google’s Android? It appears that Google has considered this question, too, as they are offering 10 million incentives for developers to give their platform a go.

Posted in Google on November 13th, 2007
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So it appears that, for now, there is no miraculous Gphone. What will be available, according to Google, is software that will “transform mobile phones into powerful mobile computers that could accelerate the convergence of computing and communications.” This we actually like. We’ve been holding off on getting a PDA for a while, and it appears that our wait might be worth it. By the second half of next year, we can expect to see the software available on handsets made by HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung. Now, for their mobile carrier partners…

Posted in Google on November 5th, 2007
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We’re dying here. We really are. Today is the day that Google will finally announce its plans regarding the wireless telecommunications industry. It’s now 9 a.m., and we’ve heard nothing, which is only fueling the fire more. We’d expect the announcement in an hour or so, and we’ll post on it once all the information becomes available. But for now, a bit of speculation, courtesy of Amol Sharma of the Wall Street Journal.

Posted in Google on November 5th, 2007
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So remember when we were asking whether Google’s mobile development would be a physical phone or just an operating system? New developments suggest that it is the latter. The company is reportedly in talks with Verizon to “work together on mobile-phone software and services.” If the reports are true — the information is coming from leaks, not directly from either company — it would signal no bad blood between Google and Verizon, who fundamentally oppose one another on the rules of the coming 700 MHz spectrum auction.

Posted in Google, Verizon Wireless on October 31st, 2007
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Gphone, Gphone, Gphone. That’s all we hear nowadays. The speculation will likely continue until we hear confirmation from the company themselves, but until then, it’s fun to just guess, right? So yesterday, Lehman Brothers reported that we could see a Gphone by February 2008. Very nice. But then we go and read things other places that say it won’t be a Gphone, but rather a Linux-based mobile operating system. No, there is no further clarification on this issue. Both are still possibilities.

Posted in Google on October 11th, 2007
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So it appears Google is really serious about this 700 MHz spectrum bid. Don’t get us wrong…we always thought Google was in this thing. But before, it seemed more of a position of aloofness. They talked about what they want, saying “yeah, maybe we’ll bid; it’s a possibility.” Now that Verizon has challenged the FCC rules, though, Google is a bit ticked. They’re telling it how it is: Verizon wants to squash competition and basically own the airwaves.

Posted in 700 MHz spectrum, Google, Verizon Wireless on October 5th, 2007
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You ever get that feeling that you’re missing a key piece of information when making an argument? Yeah, we had that feeling with Google and the 700 MHz spectrum auction. Yeah, their bidding on and winning a block of open-access spectrum seemed highly appealing; they’ve done a lot of good with the company, and it makes perfect sense that they would be the ones to bring us sensible cell phone service. However, there’s quite the obstacle standing in their way: the physical network. Current estimates have it costing $12 billion, and taking three years to build out. So is Google willing to make such a commitment?

Posted in 700 MHz spectrum, Google on September 27th, 2007
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Speculation arose earlier this week that Apple was so fed up with wireless carriers in general — AT&T specifically — that it would enter its own bid in the 700 MHz auction. This unfounded rumor was quickly put to rest by the invocation of simple logic. If Apple profits so handsomely from their hardware sales, why would they make this foray into a completely unknown (to them) industry? As Mike Dano of RCR Wireless News might say: Would you want to get a haircut from Apple? But maybe this is all a little of what magicians would call misdirection.

Posted in 700 MHz spectrum, Google on September 13th, 2007
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