With the Android operating system taking off in a number of new smart phone releases the idea that Google are going to release their own branded mobile phone just won’t go away. Endgadget just printed exclusive pictures of the Nexus One which they claim could be a new Google phone because it lacks any HTC logo, or any other company for that matter, and it is running Android 2.0.1. It looks sleek and attractive with a large touchscreen and it is running on T-Mobile and using Wi-Fi.

There’s still no official word from Google although they have denied plans for their own mobile phone in the past. It seems likely that a Google branded phone would be very popular indeed and it will almost certainly support all of the latest Google developments. The Nexus One has Google Navigation and Google Goggles which is a kind of visual search function. Whether it is the long awaited Google phone we’ll just have to wait and see but the rumour certainly isn’t going away.

The market in GPS devices offering various Sat Navs which give people turn-by-turn directions has been reacting dramatically to the news that Google will be offering the same functionality for free. Google have developed a live Sat Nav application for mobile phones and the forthcoming Motorola Droid will be the first phone to use the new app. Similar apps have traditionally been quite costly but Google have been developing their amazing free maps application on the web for quite some time and this was their next logical step.

The news has had an instant impact on the big GPS companies and both Garmin and TomTom suffered drops in share price. For Garmin it was almost 20% while TomTom’s drop was closer to 10%. This is terrific news for consumers and it is probably about time the market had a shake up. Mobile phones are becoming more and more diverse in terms of functionality and the Droid also looks set to be a real contender for the iPhone.

The success of the T-Mobile G1 is why new cellphone makers decided to release new Android handset. That’s the case with ASUS, who’s been invited by Google to join the Open Handset Alliance, and in return they’re going to come up with an Android mobile phone by the first half of 2009 (more like summer).

ASUS is also expected to ditch the Ericsson Mobile Platform (or EMP) in its phones and go for the Qualcomm and Marvell platform. Wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that Ericsson is not yet a member in OHA while the other two, are!

Good game Google, on making the cell phone market even more crowded that before and on making people play by your rules. – via DigiTimes

The new T-Mobile G1 or the Google Phone, has been released in the US last week and the Chinese already got their hands on it and are illegally selling it for RMB 3,999 (about $550). In the US, G1 is bound on a two-year contract with T-Mobile and sells for $180 so I suppose it’s too bad for those that want to pay the extra fee (add $73 to unlock it if needed) because I’m sure Google will soon hit the Asian markets and the price won’t be that peppered. Next to get the Android-based mobile phone, are the Brits in early November, followed by Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands in the first quarter of 2009. – via Pacificepoch

There’s been a few days since we’ve all hear that Google Chrome is live but many people are asking if it’s any good and if it’s worth giving it a spin. I’m not yet a power user on Chrome but I can tell you a few things after seeing it working today for at least 4 hours. Yes, I know it’s another browser on the market and we already have a bunch of them, but it’s from Google so I obviously had to test it out.

1. Even though it doesn’t use the same Firefox engine, the simplicity and the rendering seem to be the same. Google Chrome uses WebKit for rendering, which is the same rendering engine as Apple’s Safari browser.

2. I love the fact that it’s not such a big resource eater like Firefox when you have multiple tags open. I know my machine may not be the best in the world with only 512MB of RAM, but believe me Chrome manages to stay under 150MB of RAM while Firefox never goes under 250MB with as many tags open.

3. I don’t like that they have a selection/scrolling problem. It’s like Chrome is a real person. It takes some time (whenever he wants) to rest or think and doesn’t deliver as fast as the user needs it. I know it’s still some sort of a Beta, but I would have expecting something flawless from the big G.

4. For some reason Chrome loads all the sites I browse, faster. Still haven’t figured that out. Why?

Would you give it a spin? Would you download Google Chrome and give us your opinion?

What a surprise! With all that hype around Firefox 3 and Internet Explorer 8 Beta, Google has made an intelligent move with its new browser called Chrome.

It has been secretly developed for the past two years. Accordingly to Google engineers, Chrome was based on Apple’s WebKit and Mozilla Firefox engine. Thus, the browser’s code is open to any developer or third party.

Google Chrome has just been released, so you can give it a try. I’ve tested myself this excellent browser, and I must say it has some great features. Google used the same clean design and integrated its services in browser’s URL bar. For example if you type a text, the bar will make automatically suggestions from your web history, Google search or popular sites. Another interesting feature is the New Tab page which will show the most visited pages, the recent searches, bookmarks or closed tabs. That adds many points for functionality and usability.

Moreover the browser brings some ingenious stuff like applications shortcuts on your desktop, the incognito mode which won’t save your visited pages in browser’s history or instant bookmarks. Also the Chrome has an amazing architecture which offers protection against malware. Each tab works independently without interacting with the others. Supposingly you will visit a malware website, and a malicious program enters your browser, it won’t affect the whole structure and will be eliminated when the tab is closed.

I strongly believe that Google Chrome will make its march straight to the top in the browser’s competition. As I see it, in a short time enthusiasts will create plugins and extensions like in Mozilla’s case. Because it is faster many IE, Firefox and Opera users will switch. In addition the enhanced security makes it the safest browser, but it also can be a target from now on.

To sum up, I can say I’ve enjoyed it.

Download Google Chrome or read the comic book of Chrome.

Who’s Google? It’s the world’s most popular internet search engine, that is backed by a complex algorithm that was developed by geniuses with computers, Larry Page and Sergey Brin – the founders. They’re the leaders of search, but today the question is … for how long? Very long I think.

According to comScore’s latest figures the US search market is dominated with a stunning 61.5% by Google, then we have Yahoo with 20.9%, 9.2% for MSN, 4.3% for Ask.com and 4.1% for Aol. But where are those dot.com startups that want to revolutionize the industry? Where’s Mahalo or Cuil or Quintura? There’s probably a reason why I can’t find them on the list, right?

Google is going to stay king over search for a long time because their system is very good. Not flawless, but very good. But will they stay there forever? Probably not. Why? Microsoft and Yahoo! are always looking for some hot startups – with great ideas – to buy. Live Search from MSFT is getting better and better after they bought Powerset.

Another way of dethroning Google is to make it return bad results. I’m not talking of those people trying to spam their listings – it’s only available for a few hours/days and when found, it goes down. I’m talking about major websites asking to be removed from the search results. But who’s going to do that? Probably no one!

If Microsoft and Yahoo should learn anything from Google’s initial success, it’s that getting “rid” of users quickly is more important than keeping them searching. Sure, it sounds counter-intuitive, but it worked for Google – ArsTechinca

High Tech Computer (HTC) has just named its Android-based mobile. Called “Dream”, the phone would be the first one that runs Google’s software. Nevertheless, a rumor about a Samsung devices was stated in the news. Samsung also develops an Android-based mobile because they are part of Open Handset Alliance too.

A 5-inch long and 3-inch wide Dream will sport a large touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard that will slide underneath the screen. HTC tries to deliver a phone perfect for emailing and web surfing. The Internet navigational keys are placed just below the screen. Also I can tell you that we should expect the Dream by the end of the year. There is no information about multimedia capabilities, storage or network compatibility.

The Open Handset Alliance’s project – the Android – will become the alternative to Windows Mobile and Linux Mobile. Thus many major mobile manufacturers will migrate for the new powerful mobile software.

via Yahoo News

Hours after receiving anti-trust clearance from the European Commission, Google closed their DoubleClick acquisition and took over management right away. The merger has been announced one year ago when the U.S. anti trust authorities gave it green light.

While there has been voices objecting against the ruling the EU Commission said

“Google and DoubleClick were not exerting major competitive constraints on each other’s activities and could, therefore, not be considered as competitors at the moment”

DoubleClick is one of the biggest ad serving companies and it was bought by Google for $3.1 billion in cash. Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares rose 4 percent after the news to $430.19.

via Yahoo!News (photo by vividcontext.com)

There is so much to tell about Android, but I will be short about it. First of all, you should know that Android is an Open Handset Alliance Project started by Google Inc.

More about the Android Project are said in the video below:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FJHYqE0RDg[/youtube]

The Android Developer Challenge intends to encourage developers to built useful apps in the following areas of interest:

• Social networking
• Media consumption, management, editing, or sharing, e.g., photos
• Productivity and collaboration such as email, IM, calendar, etc.
• Gaming
• News and information
• Rethinking of traditional user interfaces
• Use of mash-up functionality
• Use of location-based services
• Humanitarian benefits
• Applications in service of global economic development
• Whatever you’re excited about!

The most suitable apps will receive a prize too. The Android Developer Challenge will award $10 million to developers who build great apps for Android. So, the race sounds to be very hard. The team has extended the submission deadline to 14 April 2008. The 50 most promising entries received by April 14 will be rewarded with $25,000. Furthermore the selected will then be eligible for even greater recognition via ten $275,000 awards and ten $100,000 awards.

Based on the feedback from developers, a new SDK version will be released in the next weeks. According to Android blog, the new SDK will feature UI and API enhancements. Thus, the deadline has been moved to April. Here are the scheduled activities for Android Developer Challenge:

• April 14, 2008: Deadline to submit applications for judging
• May 5, 2008: Announcement of the 50 first round winners, who will be eligible for the final round
• June 30, 2008: Deadline for the 50 winners of the first round to submit for the final round
• July 21, 2008: Announcement of the grand prize winner and runner-up

via Android’s Website