What's Google up to with Gmail SMS signup?

It's apparently to prevent spammers from opening fraudulent Gmail accounts (like it was so hard to get an invite or fifty anyway), but the perpetually beta webmail client now has an SMS account authentication system available for use without an invite—just punch in your cellphone number and hit it back with the code it texts you. Of course, actually being able to use Gmail on your cellphone might be a more practical development, but now that a Gmail account can be used for other slightly less interesting things than plain old email, we can't help but wondering whether there isn't something bigger going on behind all this than just getting everyone on a Google version of Passport.

[Bob Goldberg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Last I checked, Google is building a massive repository of cell phone numbers so they can start in mass-advertising on our phones. Google are evil, when are you all going to realize that?

[ewkpates @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

I can access my google account from my cell phone, opera/symbian. The cool thing was that it only took about a month after gmail went opera friendly to make hotmail opera friendly...

[Bob Goldberg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Perhaps Engadget should investigate how evil Google really is. Lets not forget what happened to CNet last time they tried... now they are reaping the benefits with all the publicity BS generated.

[Saint Zany @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

So if you have a PC and no cellphone (however unlikely that is), you can't use the Google messenger service? Maybe it's one in a thousand or one in a million but when the messenger adoption/success depends on the viral effect, why restrict it in this way? Oh, well...

[Bob Goldberg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Zany, you make a good point. Perhaps Google will be launching their own cellular service soon, right after the long awaited debut of Google's Ling Ling's Online Massage Parlour.

[Russ @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Maybe it's going to tie in with the Google talk that went live today?

[Tom @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

1 year and counting till total world domination by Google. But ya gotta love 'em!

[Bob Goldberg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

I heard a rumour that Google is linking up with Virgin Galactic to make Google Earth the official navigation system for the Mothership. Go Gooooogle!

[The_Guy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Umm... I don't know if anyone here relized this but you could link any email account to your phone via text messages, you just set up you account so that everytime you get an email a double is sent to your phone and its free, only draw back is there is a message lenght and of course no pictures but just to see if you got email and about what this is actually very useful.

[Atul @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

I think it's upsetting that when a company gets too big it is destined to be considering evil. In fact, there's an article about in the NY Times today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/24/technology/24valley.html?hp&ex=1124942400&en=e92eec83a68ff448&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Google is an immensely successful company that has fostered numerous technological breakthroughs, has made lots of people rich through its surging stock, and is pretty supportive of open source development. However, just because it's reached some magic limit of success it is now considered evil. Before this gets out of hand - which I'm sure it will - how about we try and determine what it is exactly that makes Google evil? Or maybe you guys can tell me when exactly they became evil?

If things continue like this I'm sure in no time any Google-related post will be slammed with at least 50% Google-bashing comments (like this one). I find that very disheartening for such a progressive technology blog.

[Robbie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

In Gmail settings you can download Google Talk, everyone tell Engadget, they never get my tech news information :(

[Daniel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

talk.google.com

[Darkshadow @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

It's so non-gmail uses can sign up for their google talk IM app. I guess they figured a normal person would not want to look for a gmail invite.

http://www.google.com/support/talk/bin/answer.py?answer=24746

[Dustin Albertson @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Bob Goldberg you are a wicked google hater....stop sipping on the haterade and relax.

[Rex StJames @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Atul: re 50% google bashing comments: Kinda reminds me of any story relating in any way to Apple or the iPod. Obviously Apple doesn't have supreme power over the PC market, but over the portable audio player market.

[Timmah! @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Big != Evil

[HaroldH @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Yeah, I tried this twice hours ago... still no text message, what's the deal?

[The_Guy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

"Yeah, I tried this twice hours ago... still no text message, what's the deal?"

You gotta set up e-mail forwarding to ur phone#@service provider.com

ex: [e-mail] or something like
that i dont know what it is for sprint.

Everytime you get an email it will be forwarded to your phone as a text message, of course this isnt very safe since your email now go throught your wirrless provider.

[Alexander Micek @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

GooOS is what this is about. Or, WebOS, or Web 3.0 - all terms I recently read about on kottke.org's wonderful write-up on this topic. It's about a new operating system, literally another generation of operating systems where going on "the internet" is the same as "using the computer/phone/tv/fridge ..."

Article here:
http://www.kottke.org/05/08/googleos-webos

[MrFloppy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Google Evil?
Oh yeah... All they do is create 1G mail accounts, buy companies and services just to re-release them for free (Keyhole=Google Earth, Picasa...), release IM open source based...
Yeah, they�re soooo evil...

[Jason Valalik @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Hey all,

You CAN access gmail through your phone. Go here and se yunzself up.

http://gmailwireless.com/

Word UP!!

[Petrica @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

I don't know if anyone here relized this but you could link any email account to your phone via text messages, you just set up you account so that everytime you get an email a double is sent to your phone and its free.

[EiZei @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Meh, lot of finnish services based in the internet have been doing the same for quite a time already. So far I have received zero SMS spam so far.

[devid @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

i dont have a cell phone, you insensitive clod!!

[Emor8t @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Google: "Are you pondering what I'm pondering, yahoo?"

Yahoo: "Well, I think so, Brain, but I can't memorize a whole opera in Yiddish."

Google: "No Yahoo, Tonight, we shall take over the world"

[kenneth @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

hello
i will love to have a gmail account
plz brief me on this issue

[Nicolas @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM]

Here in Finland we have a identification solution that uses the mobile phone. http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/866/334