TechCrunch is hearing some veeeeeery interesting talk about a true Google Phone: Not just an Android device, but a phone designed top-to-bottom by Google to fulfill their dream of exactly what Android can be. It's a resilient rumor.


We've heard rumors like this before, but this time there are a few distinct elements that seem credible, maybe even enough to make us rethink our previous position. We're basing this all on Michael Arrington's sources—his article is a bit vague, but points to an outsider-made but Google-dictated device, sort of like how Microsoft's first Zune was actually made by Toshiba—and in the case of the Google Phone, there are a couple options for the possible manufacturer. The obvious choice is HTC, who's been the major hardware manufacturer of Android devices, but TechCrunch hears that the source of the hardware will be Korean, not Taiwanese, which likely points to either Samsung or LG.


Samsung has a long-standing relationship with Apple, supplying tons of parts for the iPhone, so maybe LG would step up to the plate and develop this phantom device. LG's no stranger to Android, but has been a minor player up to this point—maybe they've been working on this mysterious Google Phone in the meantime, which is supposedly aiming for an early 2010 release.

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Right now, we don't know much of anything, so we're reaching out to you guys—if you've heard anything about a possible Google Phone, please shoot us an email. [TechCrunch]