Technology website The Register reports that Google has confirmed it is designing a mobile phone. El Reg speculates that their motive is to do with potentially large advertising revenues from mobile advertising. Google themselves say it is to get a foothold in developing countries (where mobiles are now the commonest form of connected computing). The Register reports it will use Java-based applications and have a Sidekick-style form factor. They also note that Google has been recruiting engineers from mobile companies including Symbian.

The Register's article ends on a very interesting note: they speculate that a "Google Phone" would receive far less media adoration than Apple's iPhone, but could be far more significant for the industry. They talk about striking "the right commercial balance", presumably meaning the right balance between price and functionality.

While Apple's core business is about selling luxury items which cost hundreds of dollars each to a rich minority, Google tries to reach as many customers as possible across the entire globe with services that cost as little as possible.

Interestingly, the Google executive who seems to have confirmed the existence of the Google Phone talked about it being aimed at developing countries. This means that the phone would have to be cheap enough for significant numbers of people in developing countries to buy, which further implies we won't be seeing the kind of $600 rich person's toy that Apple is launching.

If this is the case, then it could mean Google's phone would be genuinely revolutionary, quietly changing the world while the iPhone and other high end models do nothing but provide toys to rich technology fans.