Although Google executives all but deny it, a few leaks, the recent publishing of a patent, and a lot of healthy speculation can only lead one to think that the iPhone won't be alone for very long. When given a moment's thought, it seems that Google has the right basic applications for a successful 3G, Wi-Fi-equipped mobile phone. GMail, Google Search, Google Video, YouTube (acquired by Google last year), Google News and Google Maps can provide a strong basis for mobile phone services such as e-mail access, GPS, video playback and web-surfing.
One thing Google hasn't done yet, though, is step into the hardware world. But rumor has it that Samsung is handling that part of the business, leaving the Internet giant free to focus on what they do best- user-friendly operating systems. Best of all, Google might be looking to bypass the mobile service providers and traditional payments, instead enabling the customer to pay for everything from the phone bill through parking fares to vending machines through the newly patented Text Message Payment system.
Looking at the supposed design of the GPhone, it's hard not to draw comparisons with Apple's recently released iPhone. The iPhone is quite compatible with some of Google's services and so have
they recently increased the compatibility with Google on their personal computers too, but it looks like they will be in direct competition sometime next year.
One can only expect that the GPhone, whatever qualities it may have, will probably cost less than the hefty $500 price tag of the iPhone.
