gPhone Hubbub!

While the world continues to try to figure out whether to believe me and my unnamed source, I've got a list of a few of the folks talking about gPhone confirmation. Most folks are seeming to repeat what I say, and accurately interpreting the words, although a couple have taken an aspect of my analysis and skewed it. That's ok - it's expected. Since I don't have any other breaking news today, and my Developing for Facebook story isn't ready yet, I'm going to round up some of the coverage here.

(hey! it's not every day that the entire blogosphere mentions my name. let me bask in it for a second!)

Google alerted me this morning that:

• Wired said that: Rumor: Google Phone Will Be Linux-Powered, GPS-Loaded and Cheap: "If the murmurs are true, the GPhone cometh in September."
• the UK Guardian said that: The gPhone: "Speculation continues about Google's mobile phone plans."
• IntoMobile said that: Google GPhone confirmed as low-cost sub-$100 device: "Rizzn.com has also allegedly confirmed that the Google Phone will be using an ad-based model to help subsidize the cost of the phone - serving up Google ads whenever possible." [a point of clarification... that's analysis on my part, not confirmation. There will be ads on the phone, and the price-point is allegedly going to be low, but that one will subsidize the other, it's just an educated guess on my part]
• SEOPrincipal said that: Google Phone “Confirmed” - Will Be The Computer For The Poor: "Finally, someone posted something that looks like a reliable confirmation of the coming release of the Google Phone." [thanks! finally someone thinks I'm reliable instead of baggin' on me! :-) and he also said:] "Remember that Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, said last year that they would provide free phones to people if they accept to view advertising."

Digging down into the MSNBC article linked above from last November, you'll find the following quotes:

Schmidt said Saturday that as mobile phones become more like handheld computers and consumers spend as much as eight to 10 hours a day talking, texting and using the Web on these devices, advertising becomes a viable form of subsidy.

"Your mobile phone should be free," Schmidt told Reuters. "It just makes sense that subsidies should increase" as advertising rises on mobile phones.

He continues a little later in the interview with some more revealing comments:

The Google executive said his own company had no plans to directly give away phones itself, nor is he aware of any effort by partners such as phone makers Nokia or Motorola or mobile operators like Vodafone to make such a radical move, he said.

Schmidt acknowledged that mobile phones may never become totally free to the consumer. Newspapers are still not completely free a hundred years after they started relying on advertising, but they certainly are inexpensive, he noted.

Given the context of the information I got the other day from my friend, doesn't seem that far out of line now, eh?

At any rate, back to the coverage of me the gPhone rumor - these are the folks that really kicked off the coverage (thanks!):

• Mashable
• GigaOM: ... where there are apparently a lot of evangelists of the OLPC who are mad as crap at me for "spreading the rumors" that "Google is going to try to crush the OLPC." RTFA, and you'll see that's not what I said.
  

Did you post some unique analysis on this? Email the show, and we'll try to talk about it today.

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