Tech Crunch started the G-Phone stories flying, and Gizmodo says the phone "is a certainty." There's much speculation over whether the phone will be a true smartphone or a fancy data device that uses Google Voice VoIP.
Ex-Danger boss, Andy Rubin -- who is now the VP of engineering at Google -- and his team would certainly have the ability to put together a cool Google device. It is interesting to note, however, that if the company is preparing to make a major push into the hardware market, it isn't reflected in its job postings. (See Google Spy: Big Team Picking Up Phone.)
The only major hardware-related jobs that the company has posted at the moment that relate to Android are openings for a Strategic Partner Manager, Mobile/Distribution position, based in Seoul or Taiwan.
This posting is asking for a candidate to work with mobile OEM partners:
- In this role, you will develop and manage mobile distribution partnerships with global OEM partners. You have worked at or with a mobile handset maker, PC manufacturer, or consumer electronics company, ideally in a business development, account management, or new initiative development role. You will focus on partnerships in JAPAC but primarily in Korea and Taiwan.
Google has surprised before in the mobile space: Recall that what turned out to be the "Android" mobile operating system was originally supposed to be a Google phone. (See Google: Thinking Bigger Than Phones?) — Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung
It is certain that Google will not make any phones, as in manufacture. They will use a partner, either a contract ODM, or a pure OEM. They will specify what the phone(s) features will be. They may play a role in the design, or they outsource that as well.