The rumoured Google phone took a big step forward towards reality today. Google handed out a new mobile phone to a number of employees to solicit their feedback and suggestions for improvements (in a process it calls ‘dogfooding’).
Details are slim but it appears that the latest incarnation of the rumoured Google phone comes with Android 2.1. It is similar to the HTC Touch but is thinner (even thinner than the Apple iPhone) and comes with a trackball and four Android buttons. The touchscreen display apparently rivals that of the Motorola DROID. Other rumoured specifications include a Snapdragon processor, an OLED display, no physical keyboard, two microphones and a voice-to-text feature for emails and notes.
A blog entry by by Mario Queiroz, Vice President, Product Management suggests we could learn more soon:
Unfortunately, because dogfooding is a process exclusively for Google employees, we cannot share specific product details. We hope to share more after our dogfood diet.
Is Google really about to get into the handset market? According to TechCrunch, Google could start to sell it as an unlocked GSM phone as early as January 2010.