(iaoNEWS) - Google sources today unveiled plans for the 'Google IP-based mobile phone' code-named 'Phoogle'.

The unnamed source admitted planning has begun for Google to offer a local IP-based mobile phone service to users in select markets.

"The technology behind Phoogle has already started to be laid out in conjunction with Google's local wireless internet services," reported our source.

"Using Google's local wireless infrastructure the Phoogle will be a handheld mobile phone that uses current Google ad serving technologies to allow users to have free cellular service in local areas by having the underlying costs supported by serving ads to the users in the form of positioned speed dial numbers. Bid positions will be based upon the advertising model similar to the Adsense model in current use online."

"As an example, think of taxi cabs. How much business can you attract to your service by having your number on the speed dial on thousands of local mobile phones? The taxi companies themselves will bid up the price per call to be the first speed dial number on the taxi speed dial button. This 'speed dial ad serving system' model can be expanded to all local services. Fast food orders, flowers, any local service that can be ordered / picked up / delivered is open to this adserving technology while at the same time significantly lowering mobile phone costs for local users."

"Additional benefits to the end users, including the free mobile phone, will be the access to wireless internet in a mobile phone, access to unlimited local calling, GPS, and other features as the phones options are being decided."

"It's conceivable that your Phoogle could have an MP3 player, online video access, web browser, Instant Messenger, local GPS and most other features limited to users now paying for these features. You could have free access to news, personals, auction websites, even long distance calls through third party services. "

"The possible avenues of revenue based options for the end user are limited only by the wireless internet access that is currently being provided by Google."

No timetable has been set for the official release of this product/service.

 

TRAVEL

(NDP) Reports are being leaked of the next generation Digital Video Recorder (DVR) that is to be released this holiday season. From details that have yet to be confirmed, this next generation DVR will have a feature that many satellite, cable and even television networks are trying to keep from being released: the ability to pause/record more than one and up to all available channels from the supporting channel feed. No longer will the DVR have to be tuned to a particular channel for the record or pause feature to be activated. The capability currently is that that if you are watching one channel and pause it, then start to watch it again, other channels will have still remained playing in real time and you would miss the start time of another show on a different channel. Now, with this next generation DVR, the device will allow for the pause feature to be activated across more than one channel, so you will not lose time on something you are not watching. It may even be possible, depending on memory and drive capacity, for multiple channels to be recorded at the same time without a tuner being required for each channel, which is the current requirement. An official announcement of this next generation DVR is rumored to be only days away.

 

VoIP

(NYR) - New York Reporters today released a story that encourages marijuana use in the fight against cholesterol. Citing a 5 year study by the Physicians Hospital of Sienna, Vermont, 205 patients with a variety of cholesterol issues were treated with a chemical THC of 18% potency. The study found that over the 5 year period patients were less likely to have cholesterol related health issues while being treated with the THC medication and on a strict exercise and diet regimen as opposed to the 205 patient control group that had 18 deaths during the same period.