Reuters reports that Google has said yesterday that it would offer a software system to make the Internet work as smoothly on mobile phones as it does on computers. "In its long-rumoured entry into the mobile phone market, the world's leading Internet company said it would start next week by allowing independent designers to tinker with its software, known as 'Android'. Google-based phones are due to appear in the latter half of next year. Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile will start selling Google software-based phones next year. China Mobile, the world's largest mobile carrier, Japan's NTT DoCoMo and KDDI and European and Latin American operator Telefonica also said they were working with handset makers to develop Google-based phones. Interestingly, the article discusses how Google is more interested in getting the technology 'out there' rather than worrying overmuch how companies will make this work financially. "Let's put the technology enablers in place and figure out how to monetize it later," Andy Rubin, the official in charge of Google's mobile phone push, told Reuters in an interview. "You won't see a completely ad-driven cell phone on this system for some time," he said during a company news conference." Since Google is offering the software for free, Rubin said operators may pass along something like 10 percent savings to customers through phone subsidies or lower monthly fees." More at Reuters
