Google Phone Poised to Debut Jan. 5

Rhett Pardon Dec 30, 2009 11:45 AM PST

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google has announced a press conference discussing Android for Jan. 5, the same day reports indicate a launch of the Google Phone.

Invitations were sent to the news media Tuesday.

Google's invitation doesn't divulge many specifics about what's in store at the Mountain View, Calif., conference. Another conference is planned for CES in Las Vegas.

The invitation, titled "Please join us for an Android press gathering," states the following: "With the launch of the first Android-powered device just over a year ago, we've seen how a powerful, open platform can spur mobile product innovation. And this is just the beginning of what's possible."

Mobile tech blog TmoNews released a document said to be from T-Mobile's upper management on the sale of the phone.

It said: "Google, with support from T-Mobile, is scheduled to launch a new Android device in early January. The Google Android phone will be sold solely by Google via the web. Support for this 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."

HTC reportedly is building the Google handset, called Nexus One. Information Week reported that Nexus One will cost $530 for an unlocked handset or $180 with a T-Mobile two-year contract.

According to Engadget, the Nexus One measures a little over 0.45 inches thick, and has a 3.7-inch OLED touch screen. It possibly runs Qualcomm's 1GHz QSD 8250 Snapdragon processor and has 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM and a 4 GB microSD card included, expandable to 32 GB.

The camera has a 5-megapixel sensor, mechanical auto focus and LED flash, and could also include 2x optical zoom. It also has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, accelerometers and a compass.

So far, the Android operating system has exceeded the 20,000 app milestone and is seen as a vital revenue stream in the future for mobile adult companies.

Last month, Seattle-based MiKandi.com rolled out what it calls the world’s first adult mobile app store. MiKandi is a white label developers portal for free and paid-for apps, allowing developers to upload more content around porn.