Spoke too soon.
The Internet is buzzing about the Google Phone this AM and it seems a picture of the device has surfaced. It’s unclear if this is the HTC Passion, but it sure looks a lot like it.
Cory O’Brien, a blogger in San Francisco, got his hands on a device that he claims to be the Google Phone last night. O’Brien had this to say about the device:
Google Phone = iPhone + a little extra screen and a scroll wheel. Great touch screen, and Android.
I wonder, though, if the “little extra screen” room implies that the device’s screen is wider where it counts. For example, the Droid has a larger screen than the iPhone but it’s skinnier. In other words, the on-screen portrait keyboard is cramped on every device except the iPhone.i don’t have the largest meat hooks in the world, but devices like the myTouch 3G and even the Droid have tiny portrait keyboards that are incredibly frustrating to type on. I don’t have that the problem with the iPhone.
User agent strings from the Android 2.1 device reveal the name Nexus One, which is what everyone is assuming is the name of the “Google Phone.”
Does anyone know what that image on the device is?
Google has also confirmed that they’ve released a “mobile lab” device for testing.
We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.
And the WSJ is reporting that Google will begin selling the HTC-built Nexus One online unlocked next year.
Update 12/14: There’s even more info coming in about the Nexus One this morning. Mediamemo is reporting that Google will partner with T-Mobile to distribute the Nexus One next year after Verizon gave them the snub. An FCC filing appeared this morning that confirms the Bladerunner/DADOES inspired nomenclature. A handful of details from the report reveal that the Nexus One includes a microSD slot, 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.
Have any other info on the Nexus One? Send us the goods at tips at techland dot com.