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Google Mobile Guessing Game Continues

What does Google plan to announce? First, it seemed Google would announce a deal with Verizon Wireless, a rumor that prompted our colleague Richard Martin to wonder if Google wasn't about to sell out on its unofficial corporate motto. Now it looks like the Verizon deal is likely out, but that hasn't stopped the guessing game.

The longest running rumor claims Google is planning a mobile OS of some kind, likely based on Linux. But industry analysts now claim that Google isn't likely to launch an OS of its own, either. Here is a look at growing criticism of the Google OS rumor:

Pundits are predicting possibilities for what Google will announce, from a specific phone running a new Google operating system to a suite of applications that work on a wide range of phones.

A new operating system would be the most difficult undertaking for Google and some say the most unlikely product. "Building an OS is the dumbest thing they could do," said Ken Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner. That's because even though Google has deep pockets, it doesn't have the required experience. "I would say cellular telephone code is probably the hardest code to write per line of code for anything," he said.

So now it looks like Google is just planning to launch a suite of applications that can work on a number of cell phones. Google already offers mobile versions of its popular applications, like Gmail and Google Maps. If this newest rumor is true, then it looks like Google will just expand its current mobile offerings, with maybe a new application or two.

If this is true not only is there no gPhone, there will not even be a Google OS. Yawn. Sorry, but if this is all Google has been planning for the last year then I am a little disappointed.

We've been hearing rumors of a Google Phone or some other kind of killer Google mobile project for almost a year now. Don't we deserve something bigger and cooler from Google than just a few new applications?

What do you think? Is Google planning a revolutionary new mobile OS? Or is this just too much hype over too few applications?

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