Infinite Path

Sometimes, the extent to which Google influences the world of technology seems almost frightening. They have infiltrated almost every aspect of our online activity, from browsers to books, and analytics to images. Now, though, in a move which is a landmark in the history of the extremely competitive mobile phone market, Google is preparing to become the first company to control every element of a user’s phone.

Google’s plans to dominate the mobile market revolve around the creation of a heavily Google-branded handset, which allows users to take advantage of a phone service operated by the company, offering unlimited free calls. The phone, unsurprisingly named the Googlephone, is likely to impress even the most hardcore smartphone fans, with a processor almost twice as fast as that of the iPhone 3GS. The handset is likely to run a new version of Google’s Android software and will rely upon the technology utilised by Google Voice, which offers a variety of advanced telephony features including the ability to turn voicemails into e-mails by using voice recognition and it can also block telemarketing calls.

The ability to make and receive calls free of charge is a prospect which will excite many people but not everyone is likely to be happy. Google’s plans could be a hammer blow to Skype, whose business model relies upon offering users free calls to other users of the service and cheap calls to landlines across the world. There are also concerns that existing networks will be angered by the company’s plans to encourage customers to continue using their original Sim cards in the new Google-branded handset.

However, herein lies one of the potential flaws in Google’s plans. Usually, the cost of smartphones is subsidised by networks, with the theory being that a subsidised sale acts as an investment when customers become locked into using their services. With this option closed off to Google, the price of the handset (currently thought to be at least £500) is unlikely to make it a viable option for the majority of people using mobile phones.

Whether or not the Googlephone makes as big an impression as the company hopes it will remains to be seen but it will certainly be fascinating to see how it is initially received when it is launched in America early next year.