The rumours are again running wild that there will be a Google branded phone, this time due to a few Google employees tweeting about an unannounced product they’ve just received. Google has just issued an official statement, copied below in full:
An Android dogfood diet for the holidays
At Google, we are constantly experimenting with new products and technologies, and often ask employees to test these products for quick feedback and suggestions for improvements in a process we call dogfooding (from “eating your own dogfood”). Well this holiday season, we are taking dogfooding to a new level.
We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.
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.
Posted by Mario Queiroz, Vice President, Product Management
So there you have it, Google gave employees a device to test over the weekend. Is it a “Google Phone”? Highly unlikely. I’d put my money on it simply being the next Android device from HTC. Many are suggesting it will run Android 2.1, and that it will be announced in January. That’s right in line with CES 2010.
Now all we have to do is wait. Here is hoping Ashton Kumar doesn’t open his bloody mouth again.
Update: It’s called the Nexus One.