We’re all waiting for the big news next week: Will Google finally announce the Google Phone?
I’m really hoping this happens. I’m so ready for the Google Phone that I know exactly what I want to do with it when I first get my hands on one. C’mon Google… make it happen 
Here’s my list of of questions about the upcoming Google Phone:
1. Let’s imagine what the Google Phone might look like. I don’t think the Google Phone will be as slick as the Apple iPhone.
I guessing it’ll be a $150.00 USD candy bar or clamshell style device with a feature set somewhere between a smartphone and a regular cell phone.
I think it’ll have a QWERTY keyboard, especially given the need for text input for Google search and other applications like Gmail and Google Maps.
2. Just how open will the Google Phone be? Will the Google Phone be a GSM device or a CDMA phone? Or is Google preparing a phone template that any number of carriers and handset makers have already signed on for?
Just how carrier agnostic could the Google Phone be? Might it actually work on both GSM and CDMA networks? That would rock!
3. The Google Phone will most likely include some form of 802.x Wi-Fi access. Will it be perfectly dual-mode or will the Wi-Fi access be locked in some way?
I’m thinking it will be pretty open, otherwise I can’t imagine Google backing it. Google likes to develop and/or acquire technologies and give them back to the public for free. People say Google is evil. I say bah!
4. Just how much location will the Google Phone use? Will the Google Phone be able to serve location-specific search ads? Will Google Maps work in real-time with GPS?
5. Will the Google Phone have video? Will Google try to embed YouTube with the Google Phone? Or will Google stay away from video for the first version?
6. Will the Google Phone run on 3G? I can’t imagine Google pushing an EDGE device, can you?
What do you think? Will Google announce a geektastic open source cell phone next week? And if so, what features do you want on it?
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I can’t think of what it will look like… I can figure out what will be on it though, or at least some of it:
-Advertising: Base, Checkout, Click-to-Call
-Communications: Calendar, Gmail, GrandCentral, Gtalk, Orkut, Dodgeball.com, Gadgets
-Publishing: Blogger, Youtube, Picasa Web Albums, Reader, Notebook
-Search: Mobile Search (should be tailor made for phone including Images, Web results, News, etc. and separating the next 2 items), Maps, Finance
I believe that best summarizes a list of features that would be great on a mobile phone. I don’t see Google Apps functionality because Productivity Suites like that are just a bad idea for a phone, add in the fact that it’s in a web browser and it’s even more of a bad idea.
As for GSM or CDMA? Well they’re likely to be not as picky as Apple when it comes to getting something done, but WiFi is probably guaranteed, but EVDO/UMTS are not guaranteed.
I have a hard time getting excited about a Google Phone though, I can see why they would make one (to push their own services) and that’s exactly why I wouldn’t buy one.
It’s like an ESPN phone, except more useful than one, but less useful than converged hardware (iPhone) which is more useful than a bunch of Google Services crammed into the phone.
Apple went through a list of Google services and picked the 3 most useful on a mobile device: Search in Safari, Maps, and Youtube (which still hasn’t lived up to it’s full potential… I have a good feeling it will very soon though and that will make Youtube on a phone a must have).
Sebastian