Google makes a call on the Dell-a-phone


30 Jan 2008

Despite Google’s chief internet apostle Vint Cerf stating that the company will never build a G-phone or Google-phone because it is not in the business of hardware, there are rumours the search engine giant may indeed be developing a G-phone in collaboration with Dell.

Unlike mobile manufacturers such as Nokia or Samsung, Dell has never manufactured a mobile handset but has focused on mobile computing devices in the form of its PDA, the Axim PocketPC, which has no phone functionality unlike other PDAs on the market.

According to the website of UK marketing magazine Marketing Week, “senior industry sources” say this collaboration will be taking place soon.

Meanwhile, Google has been making waves in the mobile world recently in the form of Android, the Open Handset Alliance in which it is partnered with T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola and China Mobile among others.

Android is an open platform comprised of an operating system, middleware, user-friendly interface and applications that would ideally run on any mobile handset and could be tweaked like the operating system of a desktop computer to enable the user to customise or install applications.

G-phone rumours have been dismissed readily in the past because the Android platform is ideally a basis to get software developers worldwide on board an open source mobile operating system that could potentially work on any handset rather than being tied in with a specific manufacturer or device.

The rumoured Google/Dell partnership may be confirmed soon. It is said that it may be announced next month at the World Mobile Congress held between 11 and 14 February in Barcelona.

By Marie Boran