With Apple’s WWDC hours away, the rumor machine is in full gear. There is a lot of speculation about iPhone, the fabled Apple phone that may (or may not) change the wireless handset world. Chances of its appearance this week are slim, but the clock is ticking for Apple. So while we debate all that, here is another more realistic rumor.
Our friends at Engadget point to this report, about Alpha Networks, aTaiwanese company is prepping a GPhone, a WiFi phone based on Google Talk. Google sources say that branded hardware is part of the Google Talk plans, and a way to grow its ecosystem. These kind of devices would help GTalk get market traction. Or as Andy says, “squarely taking AIM at Skype.”
Would there be any really money in voip for Google or Apple?
Or just a way to bring eyes to other products?
An enhanced iChat product could help apple sell the mythical ipod-phone product, but I’m not sure how it’ll add much to Google’s bottom line.
There’s got to be advertising in it somewhere.
If there is Google, then there is ad-money surely somewhere. I know they are spending a lot of time on the Google Talk project
Let’s all remember folks, Google Talk is just a Jabber provider, and the VoIP side of it is just Jingle, and extension to Jabber, for telephony. With programs like Jabbin, you can already make these telephony calls using any Jabber server you like, not just Google’s. This open interoperability, combined with the proven-ness of Jabber will be a force to be reckoned with. Skype’s proprietary nature will kill it in the end.