Electronics and cell phone maker Motorola and Internet darling Google have announced an alliance which will put a dedicated Google button on selected Motorola mobile handsets so users can connect to Google at any time.
The first “Google-ized” Motorola handsets are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2006, but neither company has disclosed which Internet-capable handsets will get a Google button, or what sort of moneys are changing hands as part of the arrangement.
“Whether checking the local weather or locating the restaurant of their choice, consumers today require personalized search services that are tailored to their needs,” said Nikesh Arora, Google’s VP of European Operations. “With immediate access to Google, millions of Motorola users worldwide will be able to quickly and easily find information that’s important to them.”
“Many of our customers have been asking for mobile devices integrated with their consumers’ favorite online search services. By featuring Google on Motorola handsets for those customers, we are making it easier for consumers to connect to the information they need when they need it,” said Scott Durchslag, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Global xProducts for Motorola’s Mobile Device business.
Although Google services are accessible to essentially anyone with a bare-bones Web browser and Google itself has been putting considerable effort into creating mobile versions of its services, it remains to be seen whether consumers will find a special “Google button” a compelling feature in a mobile phone. But as press releases at a major consumer trade show go, it definitely hits the right buttons: Google, Motorola, mobile phones, integration. Oooh! I’m all tingly.
