Your Wish, is Google Mobile’s Command…

Although it’s no longer the time for compiling wish lists and letters to Santa until 12 months from now, there is still an outlet for your most pressing Google Mobile wishes.

Google plays Santa all year long by allowing users submit their desires for Google Mobile products and enhancements. By submitting an idea, it is added to the ever growing list of wishes and other users can vote for your idea. The more people who think your thoughts are brilliant, the further it moves up the list, and consequently the higher the chance of the Google Mobile team listening up.

Ideas comes with a new Blog

Even thought Google launched a stunning 44 new Blogs in 2008, they added another one just to cover new developments on Google product ideas.

From Google’s perspective this is a very wise move. There is no better way to spot new trends, and keep track of product development priorities than to have direct input from millions of users.

Top Google Mobile product ideas

So far Google product ideas has 4,553 users. They generated almost 1,300 ideas and votes 69,571 times!

 After all this voting, the top ideas that would make Google Mobile users very happy are:

1. Manage Google Calendar on Google Mobile (add, update, delete an event with all functionalities of the web application) (ex Phone : Iphone).
2. A “Google Product Ideas” for all google services.
3. An application that speaks the driving directions in google maps
   Usefull to use the phone as gps car navigator.
4. Mobile view of all type of documents in Google Docs.
5. Google Calendar sync with iPhone, just like Google Contacts and Gmail does now.
6. Real push mail available for all mobile users (not IMAP) including iPhone WindowsMobile phones, etc.
7. Google Talk with multiprotocol capabilities.
8. An native iPhone App of Google Reader (include a mini browser), more fast and no problem of reloading page after open a link.
9. Sync “My Maps” with Google Maps Mobile app and let users create “custom maps” to download, so I could store some maps info from my PC to my phone.
10. Push GMail via IMAP, just like Yahoo!, MobileMe, and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.

A number of these ideas relate to the iPhone. Understandable, considering BlackBerry users already have the ability to manage and sync Google Calendar from their BB, and can read any type of document.

I personally love the idea of a speaking function for directions in Google Maps. BlackBerry has a speaker phone function that would make this a dream come true when driving. However, even if your mobile device would not have a speaker phone, you can still use a headset to listen to the directions. It definitely beats having to pull over every time to check them, or risk your life by glancing down at the screen while moving at 100km/hr.

Is Google doing us a service, or the other way around?

Although this concept of mass-collaboration is a great idea, I can’t help but think it is a little bit selfish as well: Google has users submit a piece of brilliance, they develop it and reap all the profits. You can’t really copyright or patent ideas directly, but you sure can do that to a developed product… Apparently, I’m not the only one with this opinion.

Which idea do you think rocks? Have you submitted (or voted for) any to the suggestion page already?