Google Addresses the iPhone, iPod

Google has introduced a new interface for its online applications aimed at iPhone and iPod Touch users.The new interface, which went live today, applies to Gmail, Calendar, Reader, iGoogle, and Picasa. The Gmail changes are probably the most useful ones for workers on the move: it features auto-refresh of your mailbox and auto-complete for quick addressing. iGoogle, meanwhile, gives you mobile access to all your Google Gadgets.

This could be seen as something of a dry run for Android, Google's project to develop and promote a standard, open platform for mobile phones and other devices. Android uses the same WebKit rendering engine as Safari on the iPhone. If successful, Android could help break the telco's hold on mobile services and lead to cheaper smartphones--an opening that small businesses would be better positioned to take advanatage of than large companies, which would have to satisfy their IT departments' concerns first.Wired Blog Network