It is being speculated that Google is baking a new VoIP phone for 2010, based on its Android operating system. According to what is being said on the matter here and there, that phone will be kind of a flag-bearer for mobile VoIP, since it will be data-based, meaning it will make only VoIP calls. One thing it won't be called is cell phone, because GSM won't be carrying the voice. This could be perfectly possible, with the interesting but still untapped potential of WiMax, which the phone will support. So far, the talk about Google's VoIP phone is only mumbo jumbo.
There is nothing official as yet, but it is already passionating to start imagining what a mobile phone would be like without GSM. Put yourself in the shoes of a designer. What would your Google VoIP phone be like? Ok, what we already know is that users will have to be Google Voice registered and will get numbers therefrom. Read more
This makes perfect sense. Its time to finally put the cell phone carriers in their place. They were the big dinosaurs that didnt read the signs on the wall. All we need is a data pipe, and that is the future cell phone providers didnt see. They have been too greedy charging the masses unreasonable for every little “services” like sms, mms, etc that the time is ripe for saying hanging up on the cell phone biz and treating it like the dumb pipe it should be.
Google can easily buy established companies like http://www.8×8.com or http://www.vonage.com instead of re-inventing the wheel.