FUTURISTIC GROOVES

Reflecting to Google’s activities over the past few months, it seems like they are putting infrastructure in place and gearing up resources to enter the mobile phone business (Google has long been rumored to be working on a mobile phone, or “gPhone”).

Earlier this week, Google announced that it had acquired Jaiku, a Finnish startup that lets people broadcast short updates about their locations and activities over the Web or to their friends’ cell phones (similar to Twitter), a concept called microblogging.

Furthermore, earlier this year, Google has announced its intention to bid on a large swath of spectrum in early 2008; it has acquired a mobile-phone software startup, Android, based in Palo Alto, CA; and in a handful of public statements, representatives of the company have alluded to trying to make the mobile experience better.

Basically its not the question anymore if Google will enter the mobile phone business but when and how? When will be probably somewhere beginning next year but HOW remains the biggest question mark! Many speculations are circling around but it is likely that Google is about to rewrite the rules of the (mobile) telecom industry.

In my previous post (Mobile advertising) I already wrote about the lucrative mobile advertising market which will open new opportunities. In light of this, and with respect to the ongoing rumours, Google is planning to offer a free mobile phone (gPhone) on which smart advertisement functionalities will turn your phone in a personal advisor (Will a Google phone change the game, BusinessWeek). Exciting times ahead of us!