I admit, I have not jumped on the iPhone bandwagon.  I know, loser.  But, I like the Verizon network and the Blackberry keypad (I type a ton); it really comes down to typing mass quantities, and the Blackberry is the clear winner.  So, when I saw this on Crackberry.com… I jumped out of my chair.  Maybe I can have my cake and eat it too.  Read the blog post…he did a nice job.  I’m also still hoping for an iPhone with a killer keypad.

LinkedIn launched a mobile edition — http://m.linkedin.com.

…more information is out here (Feb?), here and here (prototype?).   Looks interesting.  I’m ready.  Bring on the tease campaign.

This is big. Google made a key announcement today it what will become a widely used standard across the mobile space (it also previews/parallels what could happen in the more competitive/solidified desktop space). Google is laying the ground work to become a key player in the mobile space. This is much more than a single product — one that will fade as soon as the next big thing comes out. Think Microsoft DOS/Windows (plus hardware and network partners)…for mobile. What is unique is that instead of building out an ecosystem like this organically (vis-a-vis the Microsoft evolution), Google is architecting the ecosystem from the start. This will force an ‘Are you in or out?’ environment and increase the pace. Think AOL v. the Internet; or more recently Facebook v. MySpace…and then Google v. Facebook. Open is in. And by architecting it up front like this, business models are more certain (the same cannot be said for Facebook…to the same degree) and rapid innovation and product development should follow.

I still can’t help but ask… so when can I get my GPhone? I’m in. Anything that will remove me from being stuck behind my PC, but allow me to be as, or more, productive.

Google press release. Excerpt:

Industry Leaders Announce Open Platform for Mobile Devices
Group Pledges to Unleash Innovation for Mobile Users Worldwide

A broad alliance of leading technology and wireless companies today joined forces to announce the development of Android, the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola and others have collaborated on the development of Android through the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational alliance of technology and mobile industry leaders. …

From NYTimes.com:

Google Makes Its Entry Into the Wireless World

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5 — Google took its long-awaited plunge into the wireless world today, announcing that it is leading a broad industry alliance to transform mobile phones into powerful mobile computers that could accelerate the convergence of computing and communications.

Mobile phones based on Google’s software are not expected to be available until the second half of next year. They will be manufactured by a variety of handset companies, including HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung and be available in the United States through T-Mobile and Sprint.

The phones will also be available through the world’s largest mobile operator, China Telecom, with 332 million subscribers in China, and the leading carriers in Japan, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI, as well as T-Mobile in Germany, Telecom Italia in Italy and Telefónica in Spain. …

And Google answers my question.. where is my GPhone? …with this blog post..

Where’s my Gphone?

Despite all of the very interesting speculation over the last few months, we’re not announcing a Gphone. However, we think what we are announcing — the Open Handset Alliance and Android — is more significant and ambitious than a single phone. In fact, through the joint efforts of the members of the Open Handset Alliance, we hope Android will be the foundation for many new phones and will create an entirely new mobile experience for users, with new applications and new capabilities we can’t imagine today. …

Updates/Related posts:

GigaOm – Google Launches Mobile Phone Platform, Android: What it Means, What Experts Think
TechCrunch – Breaking: Google Announces Android and Open Handset Alliance
PC World – What Google’s Entry into Phone Biz Means to You

The Nielsen Company announced today it is reorganizing its New Media research services into two units: Nielsen Online and Nielsen Mobile.

Nielsen Online is comprised of the company’s Nielsen//NetRatings and BuzzMetrics services, which provide independent measurement and analysis of online audiences, advertising, video, blogs, consumer-generated media, word-of-mouth, commerce and consumer behavior.

Nielsen Mobile combines recently acquired Telephia, the leading provider of syndicated consumer research to the telecom and mobile media markets, with several existing Nielsen initiatives in the mobile market. Nielsen Mobile will use its unique measurement tools and large-scale, integrated consumer panels to understand and interpret the behaviors, attitudes and experiences of mobile consumers.

Internet brands like Google and Yahoo are gaining ground on the telcos. The The Kelsey Group and research partner ConStat conduct a “Mobile Market View” study, the latest of which basically says that potential mobile phone purchasers are increasingly more likely to purchase a mobile phone branded by an Internet company. That said, the telcos still own the space. Marketing Charts has some nice charts.  Below are some highlights from the study…

“The gap between the carriers (Verizon and AT&T) and the internet and technology companies was much smaller than expected, suggesting potentially wide acceptance of portal-branded phones, should they come to market,” said Matt Booth, SVP and program director, Interactive Local Media, The Kelsey Group.

“It makes sense that features that are typically associated with internet and technology companies are of high importance to consumers for their mobile devices.”

In addition, 45% of US mobile phone users surveyed said a mobile phone with better internet capability would be a key factor in their next mobile phone purchase decision.

Only 26% of mobile phone service subscribers currently opt for an internet access plan, according to the survey.

Survey respondents also ranked the importance of six mobile internet-related capabilities:

• Better connectivity to other devices (54%) and improved ability to store and look at photos (51%) received the highest importance ratings.
• Next were ability to access the internet more easily (45%) and listen to music or other audio content (34%).
• The ability to play games (25%) and watch TV or internet videos (20%) were cited by fewer respondents.

Google breaks 600, talk of the GPhone make the NY Times,… will Google ever slow?

What is in some ways a much bigger deal than a GPhone (okay, that is a big deal), is Google’s operating system and desktop app ambitions/capability. Apple has much less to worry about than Microsoft.

From NY Times:
At the core of Google’s phone efforts is an operating system for mobile phones that will be based on open-source Linux software, according to industry executives familiar with the project.

…In short, Google is not creating a gadget to rival the iPhone, but rather creating software that will be an alternative to Windows Mobile from Microsoft and other operating systems, which are built into phones sold by many manufacturers. And unlike Microsoft, Google is not expected to charge phone makers a licensing fee for the software.

…“The essential point is that Google’s strategy is to lead the creation of an open-source competitor to Windows Mobile,” said one industry executive…. “They will put it in the open-source world and take the economics out of the Windows Mobile business.”

Combine that with China’s fast growing computer market and talks of using Linux instead of Windows. A Leveno with Linux could easily reach US consumers. Microsoft has significantly dropped its Windows price in China (they weren’t paying for it, so something is better than nothing) to gain a foothold. (I wish I had the source on me, I read it or watched it from a mainstream source… we’ll call “Some Guy” within the past couple months)