Boy, does Google come up with corny names like "Krol" for its new Wikipedia like site that will also allow creators to share in the advertising revenue that comes from pages an expert creates and edits.
But TechCrunch's Duncan Riley questions if Google Knol is going one step Too Far?
"…I’ve long since subscribed to the “Google is my lord and savior” argument and gave up caring about privacy and other such things years ago, but Knol moves into new territory. Moves by Google into mobile phones with Android and the bid for mobile spectrum in the United States should be welcomed, because they bring new competition into a traditional market; likewise Google’s attempts to break into radio and TV advertising. Knol on the other hand brings the power of Google into a marketplace that is already rich with competition, and a marketplace where Google can use its might to crush that competition by favoring pages from Knol over others, on what is the worlds most popular search engine.
According to an "unofficial" Google Knol survey done today on TechCrunch, sentiment on Knol is almost 50 - 50 (see below) though Steve Rubel has another opinion:
"..Is Google Knol a step too far?
The Google Phone is going to be announced on Monday, November 5th, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal - read the story in Gizmodo tonight.
"…According to the Wall Street Journal, Google will be announcing its phone plans on Monday, hopefully putting a stop to the endless rumors floating out there regarding the GPhone. The announcement is expected to reveal a series of alliances with multiple handset makers and cellphone operators that are open to the idea of pushing Google phone applications. WSJ notes that the timing of the announcement could always change, but at this point Monday is looking good. [WSJ]"
To me, GPhone Monday is much like the OpenSocial announcement in that Google is leveraging the power of open standards according to the WSJ Article:
"…
The U.S. carriers likely to be part of the announcement are T-Mobile and Sprint, according to our sources, but there could be others by the time Google says its piece. While Sprint appears to be agreeing to work with Google to put the Web giant’s new Linux-based open operating system into phones, T-Mobile will probably go even further: the company has worked with Google for months on plans to build Google-powered phones with a variety of Google software and applications. As far as handset partners for Google, Taiwan’s HTC is a likely bet, our sources say. Samsung, LG, and SonyEricsson are also possible, but we’ll wait and see the full roster. Equally interesting will be who isn’t on the list. "
Don’t expect to see any devices soon – the middle of next year is the earliest Google-powered phones could come to market."
OK, middle of next year for Gphone, middle of next year for the full impact of OpenSocial, and Google, meanwhile, bidding on the 700MHZ spectrum - there's a large strategy that's falling into place - that of Social Networks that are based on mobile devices and that, in the end, Google will dominate.
But that's just my mashup of the information that's coming in really quickly now.
A major announcement about the G-Phone or Google Phone will be coming within the next two weeks according to an article published today in the Wall Street Journal titled: Can Google-Powered Phones Connect With Carriers?
"..Within the next two weeks, Google is expected to announce advanced software and services that would allow handset makers to bring Google-powered phones to market by the middle of next year, people familiar with the situation say. In recent months Google has approached several U.S. and foreign handset manufacturers about the idea of building phones tailored to Google software, with Taiwan's HTC Corp. and South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. mentioned in the industry as potential contenders. Google is also seeking partnerships with wireless operators. In the U.S., it has the most traction with Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA, while in Europe it is pursuing relationships with France Télécom's Orange SA and Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.'s 3 U.K., people familiar with the matter say. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.
Of course, Google is "god of the Internet" and I've painted about the Google Phone, or G-Phone before in
