It was just confirmed that Google will not be producing cell phones. The big announcement was for an open source mobile OS to be release by mid 2008. Being open source will allow any company to place Android in its mobile device for free.

 

Creation of this mobile OS is being led by Android, a company Google purchased in 2005. The name of the company is also the name of the project. This OS will be based on Linux and more details have not yet been released. Although Java is already widely used in cell phones, its integration to different devices isn't that easy. Different mobile phones wil handle Java differently.

Android will be a platform open for any cell phone maker to use without any costs. Programmers will also be able to create any application they want to be integrated on the platform, the developer's kit will be made available next week. It isn't sure how Google will profit from this since Android is completely open source so Google's logo or applications can be entirely removed if the mobile manufacture wants.

The distribution of Android will be under Apache v2 license which will allow companies to make modifications to the code and hold their own IP of it.

The project already has a good amount of partners such as Motorola, HTC, Samsung and LG as cell phone industries and as mobile carriers T-Mobile, Sprint, Telefonica (Spain), Telecom Italia and China Mobile. This group is gathered under what is called the Open Handset Alliance.

With this Google doesn't create one GPhone but allows for several thousand different GPhones using the same platform. In my opinion, an excelent stratefy to compete directly with the Windows Mobile, actually even create a completely new smartphone concept.

 

Meanwhile, according to the New York Times, Microsoft's Windows Mobile general manager "was skeptical about the ease with which Google will be able to become a major force in the smartphone market. He pointed out that it had taken Microsoft more than half a decade to get to the stage where the company now does business with 160 mobile operators in 55 countries around the world." This just proves how slow Microsoft has been to make products that are actually good.

Watch Android's official announcement:



Sources: BBC, Ars Technica, The New York Times, and Open Handset Alliance.

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