Google has sent invitations to the media for an Android Press Gathering on Jan. 5 at its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., igniting rumors that the company will unveil its much-rumored Nexus One smartphone. It is also rumored that the phone, which Google employees have reportedly been testing, will be officially supported by T-Mobile upon release. The Nexus One will reportedly run the Android 2.1 operating system and feature a touch screen with no physical keyboard.
Google's much-rumored Nexus One smartphone will be officially supported by
T-Mobile upon release, according to a new rumor circulating online. Most of the
speculation about the device may well be settled on Jan. 5, when Google hosts
an "Android Press Gathering" at its headquarters in Mountain
View, Calif.
A Dec. 29 post on
Boy
Genius Report offered a photograph of a T-Mobile internal memo, purportedly
taken by an inside source, that suggested a new Android smartphone will be
launched by Google "with support from T-Mobile" in early January.
"The Google Android phone will be sold directly by Google via the Web,"
read the internal missive.
The message, marked for "T-Mobile Internal Use Only," continued: "Support
for the device, including troubleshooting and exchanges, will be managed by
Google and HTC. T-Mobile will offer service
support including billing, coverage, features and rate plans. Additional
details and Streamline content regarding the launch of Google's Android phone
will be coming in early January."
TmoNews,
which bills itself as "the unofficial T-Mobile blog," also displayed
a screenshot of the internal memo. The blog's sources suggested that the
smartphone will be launched on Jan. 5 in relation to the Android Press
Gathering.
"With the launch of the first Android-powered device just over a year
ago," reads the invitation, rhetorically reminiscent of ones Apple sends before
it launches new devices, "we've seen how a powerful, open platform can
spur mobile product innovation. And this is just the beginning of what's
possible."
The event also includes an hour and a half for unnamed "demonstrations,"
reinforcing the idea that Google will be showing off a product.
Google may be timing its announcement to preempt the start of the annual
Consumer Electronics Show, scheduled to kick off its keynote addresses the next
day in Las Vegas. Traditionally,
product news from CES occupies the bulk of tech news coverage for the rest of
the week in which it runs.
Rumors that the Nexus One will be supported by T-Mobile have been drifting
around online for weeks. In keeping with Droid, Verizon's Android-powered
smartphone named after the robots in George Lucas' "Star Wars"
series, the name
Nexus
One could very well be a nod to the cyborgs in Philip K. Dick's novel, "Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" later made into the Ridley Scott
film "Blade Runner."
Earlier in December, Google employees were reportedly given the HTC-manufactured
device to test. The Nexus One runs the Android 2.1 operating system, is powered
by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and runs on GSM. With regard to its form
factor and lack of physical keyboard, it is reminiscent of another Android
smartphone crafted by HTC, the Droid Eris.
Although T-Mobile seems to be officially supporting the smartphone, and
could offer a substantial subsidy to users who purchase one with a two-year
contract, the Nexus One will also come unlocked-
and
reportedly cost up to $500.
Another rumor suggests that the
Google
will make the Nexus One available by invitation only. Google declined to
confirm this for eWEEK.
But that question, and many like it, could very well be answered on Jan. 5.
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