LG announces phones with Google, not Google phone

LG just announced their plan to pre-install Google services on "millions" of LG cellphones in North America and beyond. So the headline over at Telecoms Korea which reads, "LG to launch Google Phone in Q2" is in fact just Google software and not the magical Google phone touted by the rumor mill. At least this clarifies the comments made by Google's South-East Asia managing director when he stated that Google was "very focused on the software, not the phone." At least 10 new "LG-Google handsets" will start shipping globally in 2007, each with a preload of Google Maps, Gmail, and Blogger mobile applications. The first of these handsets are expected to hit in Q2. So yeah, it's not the Google phone we've all been expecting hoping for, but with 18 R&D projects in the Google labs, we don't expect this to be the final word on the subject.

[Via Telecoms Korea (subscription required)]

[JLL @ Mar 28th 2007 5:41AM]

And LG will probably claim that Apple stole their idea of having Google apps on a phone.

[Andrew Paul Baisden @ Mar 28th 2007 7:53AM]

yay I love google software. but I have verizion so they will charge $10 a month to get google apps.

[AndrewNeo @ Mar 28th 2007 8:31PM]

We can only wish Verizon would let us have Google apps. They're all Java and Verizon uses BREW.
To other people wanting these apps: Get a midlet loader for your phone or download them with the phone's browser?

[Mike on a Bike @ Mar 28th 2007 8:58AM]

I'd like to thank the Engadget crowd for remembering my "Google software on third party hardware" predictions as opposed to a Google-made handset.

Seriously though, how awesome is this? It will be SOOOOO great if Gmail, Gcal and the rest of the Google office suite wind up on a smartphone with a full keyboard. I will officially throw my Windows Mobile device from a moving car. You wouldn't believe the number of businesses in the Northeast that have actually abandoned MS Office and Exchange for the Google suite in order to reduce costs and centralize their data.

ANDREW: I laughed when I saw your comment until I realized how right you are. VZW is notorious for disabling features only to charge you a fee for the right to use them later...pricks. If they didn't have the best network coverage I would cancel my service.

Anyway, you go Google...so excited for this.

[PEZ @ Mar 28th 2007 9:02AM]

This is great new, because now, any phone can be a gPhone =D

[EdC @ Mar 28th 2007 10:53AM]

So I guess instead of callimnng it a Google phone, we can call it a googled phone.

[Brian m @ Mar 28th 2007 11:39AM]

Any chance of LG doing this as a firmware upgrade for older LG phones? My carrier Bell/MTS locks out all phones from downloading from sources outside of their own Getstuff program.

They even locked out the Bluetooth data transfer abilities on the LG 325 phone, even though they advertised it as a feature.

[Vimal @ Mar 28th 2007 9:09PM]

So now have we officially moved from salivating for an Apple phone to salivating for a Google phone?

[SANTOSH @ Mar 29th 2007 2:36AM]

it is good to know this

[peterwillcn @ Jul 3rd 2007 6:32AM]

The china version google phones....

http://www.ce.cn/cysc/communications/xjdb/200704/25/W020070425416765730036.jpg

http://big5.ce.cn/cysc/communications/xjdb/200704/25/t20070425_11161258.shtml