LG Mobile Phones and Google

Starting in the second quarter of 2007, select LG Mobile GSM phones will be shipped preloaded with Google software. These cell phones will, among other things, feature a one-click access to Google products and services and allow users to search for information, find locations, update blogs and manage their email.

LG Google Phones

According to Reuters News Service, LG Mobile is to release at least 10 new cell phone models with Google products over the next few years. The Google-bundled phones will be marketed by both companies and be shipped globally, including North America, Europe and Asia.

Some of the features of the LG Google phones will include:

• Google Maps for mobile enables users to view maps and satellite images, find local businesses and get driving directions.
  
  
• Gmail for mobile, an app that brings more speed, convenience and functionality to the mobile Gmail experience.
  
  
• Blogger Mobile allows users to upload/download images and text to blog from mobile phones.
  
  

The mobile search market has been heating up recently. So far, Google has proven to be the most popular branded mobile search provider. Among mobile search providers, Google has had the largest audience with close to 4.5 million users on average during each of the last three months of 2006.

Yahoo's mobile search offering trails at 3.8 million users. MSN and AOL have a much smaller reach, with 1.1 million and 700,000 users, respectively.

Google had announced a similar partnership with Samsung mobile phones last January.

Google Phone in the Making?

For some time there has been speculation over whether Google is developing its own mobile phone. With the pending release of Apple iPhones, at a cost of about $500 USD each, for June 2007, enthusiasts are waiting to see if the Web search provider is developing a lower-cost Internet-enable phone.

Spokespeople for search giant in the US have denied the rumor, however since 2005 Google has been quietly acquiring small mobile software makers. Rumors also surfaced that Google and Samsung were building a mobile phone, code-named “Switch”.