The Google Mobile Phone OS?

You probably heard about the rumored Google phone / OS, since this has been blogged to death many times already. My hesitation to jump in though is that nobody was really sure if indeed there's a hint of truth to this. If I remember it correctly, the image on the left of what is rumored to be a Google phone showed up around the same time Steve Jobs announced his baby to the world.

Things have changed though, with Crunchgear having the confirmation from a senior (and anonymous) HTC executive that the company has made around 20 devices for Google to test the new mobile OS on. Another blogger have claimed earlier to have gotten the confirmation from a Google insider (who, according to the blogger wasn't entirely sure if he can or can't talk about the rumored google phone) that Google is indeed working on a mobile phone.

Now engagdet is reporting that the project could have started around 2005 after Google acquired a mobile company called Android. At last, 2 years after we began to wonder about the fate of the technology and (talents) brought by this acquisition, things seem to be starting to make sense.

Google could indeed be developing a Mobile phone OS, and according to the Engadget article, it's based on Linux and offers a plethora of customizations targeted for hardware manufacturers. It has also been said that Google has the developing market as its target and that the Phone OS integrates very well with Google's products.

Having tried Motorola's linux-based handset, I strongly feel that the industry needs a mobile linux implementation that doesn't put a taint on the Linux name with such a crappy UI (not that Linux is known for it). With the iPhone setting the bar for what a good mobile phone UI is like, things are starting to become interesting.