Srinivas Padma: Personal Musings on Life, Growth, and Connections

All that speculation by bloggers about Google's GPhone has come to naught. There is no such phone coming our way. But all is not lost, as the poet said. It turns out that Google honchos have been secretly developing an operating system for mobile phone users . This OS will bunch together all of Google's offerings and will also have a brand new browser. It is likely to be unveiled in the beginning of 2008. Google will be persuading service providers and mobile manufacturers to install the OS in their instruments. At present, mobile phones use operating systems developed by Microsoft and London-based Symbian, which provides software for Nokia, Ericsson and Siemens.

The Net is abuzz with reports that web major Google is holding talks with Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to launch its muchhyped Gphone in India. If the speculations of bloggers are to be believed, Google is planning a worldwide release of its Gphone within two weeks. It is expected to be a sleek machine which will provide users easy access to all of Google's services including mail and search. Google has neither denied nor confirmed that the Gphone is in the pipeline. The success of Apple's iPhone has taught it that speculation and expectation are free publicity. If all goes well, Indians will be able to lay their hands on a GPhone even before the coveted iPhone hits the market.