Announcement
June 26, 2006
Today Google announced the availability of several mobile services that further demonstrate its commitment to making the mobile phone a more convenient and dependable device for accessing useful and relevant information while on the go. Already available in U.S. and U.K. English, mobile phone users will now have access to Google’s mobile services in a range of languages including French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, Chinese and Turkish.
Google is committed to unlocking the technological potential that today’s mobile phones promise to users by providing products and services that are practical, easy to use, and free. Beginning today, mobile phone users will be able to stay in touch with friends and family through Gmail, keep abreast of recent news through Google News, and access their personalized Google home page--all from their mobile device.
Stay in touch with friends and family while away from your computer
Gmail users will no longer have to worry about missing important email. Gmail users now have quick and easy access to their Gmail account directly from their mobile devices.
To access Gmail, users simply visit gmail.com through the web browser on their mobile phone and sign in to their Gmail account as they would on the web. Because every mobile device is different, Gmail automatically optimizes the interface for each phone. Users can also view attached photos and documents from their phone, and reply-by-call to people whose phone number is stored in their Gmail account. Gmail messages are automatically synchronized, regardless of whether Gmail is accessed from a mobile device or through the web.
Read the latest news headlines--no matter where you are
Whether waiting in the doctor’s office, riding the train to work, or standing in line at the local market, mobile phone users will now be able to search and read the latest headlines quickly and easily on their web-enabled mobile devices.
Google News offers quick headline updates, the ability to search current news, and browse categories that enable quick and easy access to the news that matters most to individual users. To access Google News, users simply visit google.com on their mobile phone’s web browser, and click the link to Google News. Users will then be directed to links and headlines for the top news stories.
Google News also provides users with the option to browse through quick links to specific news categories such as Business, Science/Tech, Sports, Health, and Entertainment. Only sources whose content has been designed specifically for viewing on mobile devices are displayed, ensuring that users can quickly and easily read the news they want.
Access your personalized Google homepage from your mobile device
Google Personalized Home for mobile devices is a new service that enables users to access their personalized Google homepage on their mobile phones and PDAs. Business travelers can easily keep up with their personal stock quotes while they’re on the road, and news junkies can stay on top of their favorite headlines when they’re away from their desktops and TVs--all without having to search multiple web pages from a mobile device.
Google Personalized Home provides at-a-glance access to information from users’ Google personalized homepage such as Gmail, customized news headlines, local weather, stock updates, hand-picked RSS feeds, and more. Information is optimized for the smaller screens and slower bandwidth of most mobile devices and is presented in a format that reduces the need to click multiple links.
Users who have already set up a personalized Google homepage on their PC can simply visit www.google.com through the web browser of their mobile device, select the "Personalized Home" link, and then sign in with their Google account username and password. The next time they visit google.com on their phone, they will automatically see the same customized content modules that are featured on the web version of their Google personalized homepage. (Users who do not yet have a personalized Google homepage on their PC should first visit www.google.com/ig from their desktop computer and select the content to be added to their homepage.)
Pricing & Availability
Available today, Gmail, Google Personalized Home, and Google News for mobile devices are free from Google. The services work with most web-enabled mobile phones, but users should check with their carriers to determine if there are additional charges for web access.