A Google phone with ads is beyond the pale

There was an old ad campaign that went something like, "It's not nice to fool with mother nature." And I believe the perpetrator of this crime was quickly zapped by lightening. Google's rumored Google phone, which will offer consumers free cell phone service, subsidized by placing text or voice advertising on the phone, puts this saying in mind. To most Americans, their cell phone is a personal device that they

There was an old ad campaign that went something like, "It's not nice to fool with mother nature." And I believe the perpetrator of this crime was quickly zapped by lightening.

Google's rumored Google phone, which will offer consumers free cell phone service, subsidized by placing text or voice advertising on the phone, puts this saying in mind.

To most Americans, their cell phone is a personal device that they do not want messed with.

It is hard enough, especially for those of us who remember the old monopolistic days of Ma Bell, when phones just worked, to get used to lousy cell phone service, let alone listening to ads every time we dial.

And 3G service still isn't all it's cracked up to be. Imagine not only having to wait for your content to appear on the screen but waiting first for the ad to appear and go away before you view the content you want?

Worse still, what about a 911 call? Will you have to listen to an ad before you speak to the emergency dispatcher?

No way.

A cell phone is no longer a "nice to have" device. It is the most important lifeline and communications tool we have.

Google makes a big mistake if it doesn't give it the respect and deference it deserves.

I think this time Google may be biting off more than it can chew. Yes, what it's after is more platforms on which to sell advertising. After all, it's Google's main -- at this point, only -- revenue stream.

But consumers, believe it or not, have their limits, and I think they will draw the line at commercials on their mobile.