Update: Peter Kafka at All Things Digital says Google is partnering with iLike and Lala on the music service, which is being called “OneBox.” He writes:
The search giant is working on a new service that will provide searchers with streaming music, which sounds a whole lot like a content play at first blush. But Google will only be offering limited bits of music, and it will be using other companies to actually provide the tunes.
Sources describe the service, which will be called “One Box,” as a refined set of answers for music queries. The idea: Punch in, say, “Madonna,” and you’ll be presented with one or more songs, which may be partial clips or full-length versions, then guided to other sites where you can purchase the music.
Original Article: Google is reportedly working with an unknown smartphone manufacturer to launch a Google-branded phone that would be available through retailers rather than telcos. This information comes from an analyst who claims to have spoken with Google’s design partners.
“The move would fulfill Google’s pledge to bring a new generation of open-standard mobile Internet devices to consumers,” reports Scott Moritz with TheStreet.com. “By bypassing the carriers, who keep tight controls over the features and applications that are allowed on phones, Google will presumably offer a device that lets users determine the functions.”
The company also allegedly has a new music service on the way. Mike Arrington at TechCrunch (which has been known to miss the mark a time or two in the past), claims that he has has “heard from multiple sources” that Google has been securing content from major labels for a service called Google Audio. According to Arrington, the service would be available for at least U.S. users.
If the phone and music service both come to fruition, Google is set to have a huge year for new products. The world is still anticipating the release of the Chrome OS, which the company announced back in July. And Google Wave is “making waves” throughout the tech industry. Some have deemed it “the next big thing” in online communication, while others remain skeptical of this notion.
Either way, it’s safe to say that Google has a lot going on (as usual), and if even one of these products lives up to what it could be, those impressive numbers Google released last week are bound to be indicative of an ongoing trend with the company. Ok, even if none of these products work, the trend may still continue.
