Is Google developing a phone after all?

[AVee]

On Friday 09 November 2007 16:07, thomas.cooksey at bt.com wrote:
> >> 1) I think Google IS developing their own phone after all
> >> 2) I think that phone will be based on the Qualcomm MSM7K
> >> 3) I think Android will be using Kastor as a rendering engine
> >> 4) If so, Android will look a lot like the Kastor demos on tat's
> >> website. (e.g. http://www.tat.se/images/demo/kastor_platform_01.mp4)
> >
> >It's probably a reference platform and one for developers. A bare
>
> minimum >specification.
>
> It can't be the bare minimum as they've already said the minimum is an
> ARM9 and that Qualcomm is an ARM11. Plus, why port to a new platform
> when there are plenty of development kits for ARM9 (and event ARM11
> these days) which support Linux out of the box. They could have used a
> Gumstix. They didn't, they ported Linux to a completely new family of
> SoC - no simple task. Just ask the OpenMoko Kernel developers! :-)

But did anybody say it was google's idea to use this SoC first? Qualcomm is 
part of this consortium, and I guess they are only there because they hope it 
allows them to sell more chips. I can imagine Qualcomm presuring Google to 
implement on their latest-greatest chip first. 
If this platform runs on a dozen SoCs from a dozen manufacturers from the 
beginning there little reason left for Qualcomm to join, but now they may 
become the first manufacturer with a 'Android capable' SoC.
I doubt google will release a phone of their own, but it is indeed higly 
likely that the first Android phone will be based on the Qualcomm MSM7K. 
That's what consortiums are about, doing each other those kind of favors.

AVee

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