The Google Switch: an iPhone killer?

Color us skeptics on this one, but we've got a tipster claiming to have the scoop on Google Switch. This version of the mythical Googlephone is said to be the result of a collaboration with Samsung -- not Alpha Networks or HTC. Of course, it's a button-less touchscreen device as is the rage these days only this time with GPS built-in for pinpoint navigation around Google Maps. What's pictured in that all too familiar blur (Photoshopped?) is the phone's contact program said to be an extended version of Gtalk combining Gmail, text and instant messaging. According to our tipster, the device doesn't have any on-board storage. That's right, all your applications are served up over the network with new apps "attached" to your account via a web interface. So what is it... the real deal or engorged fanboy fantasy? Check the gallery below for biggie pics suitable for dissection.

Gallery: The Google Switch: an iPhone killer?

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[scott @ Jan 18th 2007 9:45AM]

Apple, Inc, has touted the Iphone therefore it is now OK to take potshots at it.

The Iphone looks interesting but there are other phones out there that do more and cost less.

Google has a much better reputation than Apple and if they come out with this phone, I will definitely switch.

[fetus @ Jan 24th 2007 5:52PM]

Uh, scott, you're going to "switch" to the Google device? From what? Your nonexistent "Iphone?" Oh, and please inform me to the devices that "do more for less" than the iPhone, especially since its details are hardly solid...

[jasondefaoite @ Jan 18th 2007 9:09AM]

Either both the phone and iPod are moving in the second image or someone forgot to blur the wood grain effect on the table... quick .. back into photoshop!

[xzaio @ May 12th 2008 9:28PM]

Quote " Uh, scott, you're going to "switch" to the Google device? From what? Your nonexistent "Iphone?" Oh, and please inform me to the devices that "do more for less" than the iPhone, especially since its details are hardly solid... " Quote

How do you know if he does not have an I-Phone. And by the way there are MANY other phones which can do the same thing as I-Phone just cheaper.

Text Messaging Interface - On a windows mobile device (version 5 or above) it is easy to replace the text interface, as long as you use the same text messaging receive & send api as the original.

Over All Skin - Of course you wont make it look entirely like the I-Phone, but you can get interface addons to change things around.

Email - Email, you can add many different add-ons and change ups to make it do MORE than the i-phone can.

Web Browser - Sure it might not have a full "blown" browser, but you can get pretty close, for instance, you can get a different borswer than IE mobile *like thunder or opera. And you can install Flash Player 7 Mobile, PDF Reader Mobile, Object shrinker, Java Code Mobile (have to tweak around with it to work). And a virtual Java Machine (Mobile version). Also with some other web tweak programs, you can save web pages for offline view and you can run special objects that are only allowed to work on computer (and if you have a remote connection to it, you get better browser).

You-Tube and Video:
Yes there are many programs which can tun you tube on a windows mobile device. It will require a little tweaking, but you can do it. There is a program called TCPMP, and a program called Are Es S Fetcher. You just have to use you-tubes API in conjunction with those programs and you are done. Also you can subscribe to entire you tube channels.

[Colin @ Jan 18th 2007 9:09AM]

Is every phone now going to be compared to the Apple Phone?

Ugh.

[Mobi Fin @ Jan 18th 2007 9:10AM]

About time Apple gets some competition. I'd like nothing more than to see Google whip Jobs' pants on the iPhone!

[JLL @ Jan 18th 2007 9:31AM]

"About time Apple gets some competition. I'd like nothing more than to see Google whip Jobs' pants on the iPhone!"

Newsflash: Google's CEO is on Apple's Board of Directors.

[Ted Cole @ Jan 18th 2007 2:49PM]

Uhh, there is no real competition for Mac products... hence the $1 billion profit the company posted. Google isn't the answer to iPhone!!!

Mac just works better...

[Jonathan @ Sep 22nd 2007 12:26AM]

yeah, i agree.
google has onne of the best rep's ever, even more than apple.
google is just amazing, everything about them.
google is a formidable competitor.

[Akinsanmi Fanu @ Jan 18th 2007 9:16AM]

What happens with your apps when you have no reception?

[Arthur Nonamiss @ Jan 18th 2007 9:30AM]

Then it makes a handy flashlight.

[Kevin @ Jan 18th 2007 9:37AM]

Well I have no idea if the pics are photoshopped, but the idea of a "googlephone" running all of the google apps over the networks is quite intriguing...

[Anon @ Jan 18th 2007 12:27PM]

"The Iphone looks interesting but there are other phones out there that do more and cost less. "

Scott, your mentality is part of the problem, not the solution. Apple didn't make the phone to have a smaller price and a longer bullet list of features. Most technology dinosaurs out there are still trying to one up the competition with more features, while more advanced design groups are concerned not with a feature list, but how effectively it solves the problems and satisfies the desires of the users. This is at the heart of user-centered design.

I don't need a phone that piles more apps and features and buttons on top of what I have, but I would love a phone that thoughtfully assisted me in what I actually want to do.

[Matt @ Jan 18th 2007 9:50AM]

its a black ipod video with a screen PSed on it...

[Tim C @ Jan 18th 2007 9:51AM]

This thing is awesome. I hope it works with T-mobile. I would get one today for $350 or less.

[modenadude @ Jan 18th 2007 6:41PM]

definitely

[fanguad @ Jan 18th 2007 10:00AM]

My favorite piece is the text input field on the bottom, when clearly there is no way to input text.

[John @ Jan 18th 2007 7:43PM]

You probably click on the field and an onscreen keyboard appears. Like the Wii

[Robert @ Jan 18th 2007 4:03PM]

yeah, there are other ways around that. Like on a Treo, or I suppose a Wii, never seen one.

[Brian @ Jan 18th 2007 10:02AM]

No way. Wifi is nowhere NEAR ubiquitous enough to allow apps to be run off the network, and cellular broadband is too slow and/or expensive. That is, unless, you don't mind waiting 20 minutes for your browser or an hour for Google Earth to open...

[JSM @ Jan 18th 2007 10:27AM]

apparently brian has never used vz broadband - the company may be evil but their cellular broadband is spectacular - i run a remote db app (2 TB database) over it constantly and you can't tell the difference between that and a wired connection.

[mitch @ Jan 18th 2007 10:05AM]

*Sigh*
If only...

[cap'n @ Jan 18th 2007 10:15AM]

obviously if someone has access to new technology such as this, they most definitely have a better cameraphone to take pics with.

[Armie @ Jan 18th 2007 10:15AM]

Um, Google's head honcho is on Apple's board. I would like to think that either company won't do anything to jeopardize the other's market, but rather enhance it.

[TVGenius @ Jan 18th 2007 10:20AM]

Look at the left and right side bezels around the screen. Different widths. I call crap.

[aspir8or @ Jan 18th 2007 10:23AM]

The Gabble?

[Chris Harrison @ Jan 18th 2007 10:26AM]

WTF... if that's legit, that has to be one of the ugliest user interfaces I have ever seen on a mobile device..

[JSM @ Jan 18th 2007 10:27AM]

ditto what kevin said. Using my xv6700 I have come to believe that a smaller device that ran all the relevant google apps and stored my handwritten notes and other entries somewhere i could access them from whatever computer I happen to be sitting at wihtou resorting to wasteful and fault prone (or in the case of activesync completely non-functional) syncing would be the ideal. Sure, I'd like on board storage for music/video and off line work, but otherwise this is moving in the right direction. No stylus Jobs? Guess when you have lackeys to write your notes for you you forget what's important - that alone makes the podphone a failure out of the gate.

[Ernie Oporto @ Jan 18th 2007 10:27AM]

No tunes == No iPhone killer.
This is all about convergence and this device still leaves me carrying my music player separately, so there is no win in getting this without onboard storage. And since my nano can connect to the Nike+iPod sensor, the iPhone better be able to do that as well if they expect me to replace it. Will the iPhone be better than my Treo? Will Apple ever connect with a desirable phone company, i.e., someone other than Cingular?

[Brian @ Jan 18th 2007 11:17AM]

JSM said: "apparently brian has never used vz broadband - the company may be evil but their cellular broadband is spectacular - i run a remote db app (2 TB database) over it constantly and you can't tell the difference between that and a wired connection."

How much does it cost again? Apparently you conveniently missed the part of my comment eluding to the expense of cellular broadband. Oh, and the part of my comment about ubiquity. How ubiquitous is adequately fast cellular broadband again?

Get your head out of your ass. Or, if you are a VZ exec or marketing droid, stop spamming Engadget with your promotion, OK?

[Rick Lyon @ Jan 18th 2007 10:28AM]

No on board storage is an iPhone killer? Huh? Does it run a full webbrowser, store and view movies, videos, photos, etc? Huh? Does it play your iTunes collection? Huh?

[Poolrat @ Jan 18th 2007 10:32AM]

I would like to remind everyone that the Google CEO is on Apples Board of Directors. Take that home and think about it, it makes no sense

[E @ Jan 18th 2007 10:35AM]

What's with all the "killing?" Is it impossible for two devices to co-exist in the market?????

One can only hope that the iphone is enough of a smack in the face to the competition that they come out with new products that are actually as good or better. I think the greatest thing about the iphone is that it raised the bar and if others can't keep up, they deserve their dismal failure.

[n3tfury @ Jan 18th 2007 10:39AM]

lies. nice blurry pics.

[tim @ Jan 18th 2007 10:40AM]

I am curious to see how the new wave of touchscreen devices shakes down. Apple has entered a crowded market, where industrial design is only one part of the equation. Considering the time it takes to design devices like this, it seems that every major player has been working on a touchscreen device independently and now they are all simultaneously ready for primetime. Apple has enjoyed dominating the music player market, but they are swimming with sharks now...

[Xinyu @ Jan 18th 2007 10:49AM]

Is this thing even real? No onborad storage? What a joke. It's probably fake anyway. People will try to imitate the iPhone, but they will fail.

[fanguad @ Jan 18th 2007 10:53AM]

I decided to do some investigative reporting of this story and um... "took a walk" around Apple's development labs. I didn't find anything about this phone, but as the security guards were manhandling me out the door, I took this picture with my hidden shoe-phone.

http://nekomi.us/media/iPhone_cyborg.jpg

Yes! It's just what it looks like! Apple is making a version of the iPhone that walks and talks just like Steve Jobs, but has that iPhone interface we all love so much!

Sure, some of you may call BS on this photo, since it looks JUST LIKE a bad photoshop, and it looks VERY SIMILAR to an image on the first page of Google Images, but I SWEAR it real! I have insider information! I, uh... just left it at home.

(I love you guys at Engadget, but seriously, why do you post stuff like this?)

[Brian @ Jan 18th 2007 10:53AM]

"The Google Switch: an iPhone killer?"

Engadget, your reporting is starting to get a little tired and trite with all these potshots and comparisons to a product (iPhone) that hasn't even made it to market yet. And as Matt states above, why not an LG KE850 killer? Seems to me to be a case of contempt before investigation.

[djdole @ Jan 18th 2007 10:54AM]

I totally called this one. Not three days ago I said someone would be riding the iPhone's heels with either a VERY bad photo-shopping of a non-existent product, or would be claiming Apple ripped off some other bad implementation of a totally dis-similar product.

Anyways,
You need on board storage (even just a little) to view wepages.
No storage at all = No web-apps at all.

Either way, it's either fake or totally inaccurate.

[LinkMan @ Jan 18th 2007 10:56AM]

The GPS part is very, very fishy.

I was under the impression Google's deal with NAVTEQ for their map data probably doesn't allow GPS integration for fear of cannibalizing NAVTEQ's deals with GPS and in-car-navigation manufacturers.

[Phil Jacobson @ Jan 18th 2007 10:57AM]

Wow, the iPhone is 5+ months from shipping and the phrase "iPhone killer" is already coined. Only in America.

[PEZ @ Jan 18th 2007 11:04AM]

That bezel seems kind of thin. THough, there was a rumor of a Google OS a few months back, remember? Also the rumors of a gPhone, as well. YOu never know, but this particular picture seems fake.

We can only hope though :)

[helio9000 @ Jan 18th 2007 11:10AM]

I think this is fake but aside from that why, for the love of god, does every *competing* product have to "_______ killer" all the time? Just to whip up the fanbois?

Side note: doing a search for the endless number of times engadget has resorted to the tired "killer" label yields this excellent contextual ad placement:

Sponsored Links

Killer

Killer at Wal-Mart™ Wide Selection, Always Low Prices. www.walmart.com

[Wecome to the Social @ Jan 18th 2007 11:16AM]

The only product that can actually be killed is the Zune, although that's not fair cause it was dead to begin with.

[Christian Martin @ Jan 18th 2007 11:17AM]

"Hi, I'm a Mac."

"And I'm a, uh... Google... thing. RAWR."

[ztruempy @ Jan 18th 2007 11:24AM]

Clearly a PS. If you're going to fake it, make it slick. This is not.

[Ahole @ Jan 18th 2007 11:42AM]

http://www.thegooglephone.com

[Justin @ Jan 18th 2007 12:05PM]

http://www.digg.com/gadgets/Google_Switch_Google_phone_pictures_leaked_Pics

[PeteC @ Jan 18th 2007 11:49AM]

WTF! Don't link to a Digg story that links to the page you're linking from. That's just retarded!

[tgernon @ Jan 18th 2007 12:06PM]

could be interesting...