I have been thinking. It seems like the folks at Google, with the combination of free WiFi in Mountainv Vew, CA and GoogleTalk, are positioning themselves as a telecommunications company. They have drank deeply from the well of mobile internet and see it as their next big market (their snazzy J2ME application for mobile devices is probably an indication of this).
So where does that put us? The consumers?
Well, ignoring the privacy issues for the moment (we can get back to that when there is a problem), if you use the WiFi on your mobile device to connect through the Mountain View or forthcoming San Francisco Google-brand free wireless Internet connection and then you use Google Talk to talk to people for free using VOIP, then you have the potential for never spending another cent/pence on mobile networks again. You will be able to make free voice calls on your mobile.
That should scare networks.
Especially, now that Nokia and Skype are getting into the game as well. Nokia Launches Skype Phone
See Google isn’t there yet. GoogleTalk is still on the desktop, not the mobile. They are also keeping things pretty quiet about when that application will be ported over.
I tried getting an answer for this question and some idea of future plans at a conference and was met with the Google Wall of Silence(TM). Normally they have a Q and A section at the end of their google engedu talks. My question was edited out.
KARL
“So, that’s it for my prepared remarks…”
CUT TO CREDITS]
I guess we will have to wait and see.
[...] latest rise is partly because of the hinting that they are nearing fruition to predictions that I made over a year ago. (ed: I’m not bitter, just tired of slapping my forehead) Google is going to become a [...]