Why should the big boys be afraid of the Google Phone?

This post is entirely speculation on my part, I don’t have any inside information and you shouldn’t listen to people who say they do either.

The Google Phone, it might be an operating system, it may be an actual device or series of devices, whatever it is I know that if Google gives this thing the proper tender loving care it deserves then they can really shake things up.

Forget about the actual phone for a minute and think about all the services Google offers. Gmail is hands down the best web based email client out there for a lot of people thanks to the threaded conversation view. The search is robust, the interface is straight and to the point and they even offer hosted services for small business and universities.

Google Maps, used by everyone out there since people need to find where things are. Highly accurate, offers phone numbers, customer reviews of restaurants and hotels and it is free.

Google Documents, quintessential for college students who can’t figure out how to pirate Office 2007 and for collaborating with your peers. All your documents, available all the time, as long as you’re somewhere with an internet connection.

Google Spreadsheets, again just like Google documents.

Calendar is great for keeping your life on track and the interface for a web based application is surprisingly robust. Typing in one line “Lunch with Janet on Monday at 12:30″ enters it into the system with zero fuss.

Reader for all you RSS addicts.

And there are simply too many to list so just go to this website.

All of these Google Services are fantastic, but there is one problem. They aren’t mobile and can’t be built in mobile browsers (iPhone, S60) either since there are no standards for that technology, yet. People buy Windows Mobile devices because they know Office Mobile will handle their documents and Exchange Server support is best in class. People install Google Maps Mobile and Gmail Mobile because they like having these services with them no matter where they are.

If Google released a device with all their services bundled in, think how useful it would be. You could be writing a document on your computer and on the way to work you can edit it with one hand. Want to send it to your coworkers? No problem, just email it to them directly from the application. Get to work and finish doing what you have to do and then shoot it off in an email to the boss.

You can work from any internet connected device as long as it is connected to the net. You don’t need to install Word 2007 and you don’t need Outlook for email since all your contacts are already in Gmail. You don’t need to backup since all your data is in the cloud. You don’t need to worry about version tracking or forgetting your USB key at home.
It is a Google world, in your pocket and you don’t have to install anything. It just works. One sign in and boom you have access to everything. It doesn’t stay in sync with the cloud because everything is happening in real time.

If people get used to this then what will the other handset makers have to do? Will Microsoft have to offer their Office Suit in the cloud? Will Nokia have to buy someone like Zimbra or Zoho? Will the old desktop application model or opening files, saving files and emailing them as attachments still be the world we live in given one years time?

I don’t have an answer, but I do know I am excited. I really want to stop caring about where my content is and worry more about producing, editing and refining it.