Google Phone now confirmed to exist; Internet explodes

While details are still sketchy at best, it has been confirmed that Google has handed out some sort of phone to its employees.

Rumors are flying faster than you can say "Android" that this is the long rumored gPhone (sorry, TechCrunch, but fellow Angler Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins talked about this phone well before you did), and everything is pointing to it finally being the phone we thought it was.  One minor change is that it won’t be called the gPhone, but instead it will be called "Nexus One".

Listen For More gPhone Coverage (or download the MP3)

[Editor’s Note: Sean and I were joined by Inquisitr’s Steven Hodson on a special our and a half long edition of CobWEBs, talking about the history and future of the whole gPhone story. In short: this is a game changer in every way imaginable, and the culmination of a lot of puzzle pieces Google has worked for years to put together. From Sean’s post on his personal blog: “If everything we are hearing is true, and we admit it is all speculation for now, the mobile industry was just put on notice by Google, and the consumer is being put back in the driver’s seat.” It’s long, but definitely worth the listen. –mrh]

For now it is being reported that this handset is being manufactured by HTC and is currently running Android 2.1.  The big aspect is that it is said that it will be sold directly by Google as an unlocked handset, and users will be able to take it to any carrier they like.  Essentially Google is putting the consumer back in the driver’s seat, and carriers will have to accept the phones on their networks or else face a consumer backlash online like they have never seen before.

If my suspicions are correct, Android app developers may have more customers than they know what to do with fairly soon.

Over 50 Android phones expected to ship in 2010

Speaking of Google’s Android OS, Android app developers may be swimming in new users in the coming year.

According a report from CCS Insight, over 50 Android powered handsets will ship in 2010 from just about every manufacturer you can imagine and across all of the major USA carriers.

The big question now will be how manufacturers will feel about Google being in direct competition with them.  Will they pull back on production?  Will they throw in the towel and not see any reason to continue to support the Android OS in light of the latest information?

Doubtful.

At first people suspected this might happen, but lets face it, if there is demand for an Acer phone with Android on it, they’ll build it.  So in other words, Android app makers could be facing a year of excitement as more exposure is given to the OS and it picks up more users.

iPhone App developer ejected from iTunes store over questionable practices

Remember those 50 free invites you get with each app you release? You may not want to use them to review your other apps.

According to AppFreak, app developer Molinker had all of their apps, which numbered over 1,000, removed from the App Store due to questions that arose over their reviews.  A reader of the blog who goes by SCW discovered a weird pattern in the reviews for the company’s apps, and reported it to Apple, and more specifically to Phil Schiller of the company who replied to him personally that the apps in question would be removed pending investigation.

Molinker is claiming to have no idea why its apps were removed and they were looking into it, but that doesn’t change the fact that Apple opted to remove a developer that represented approximately one percent of the entire App Store says just how seriously the company takes the ethics of its developers.  This isn’t to say that every developers ratings are going to be looked at, but if you keep getting five star ratings from the same people over and over, it might just set off some red flags don’t ya think?

Greystripe ads support for the Android platform

Boy, it just seems like Android is the platform of the week.  Mobile advertising network Greystripe, which has had success on the iPhone and Java platforms, announced this week that iw would also now support the Android platform.  According to TechCrunch, the new Android SDK will support the insertion of pre-roll, interstitial and post-roll inventory.

Greystripe’s specialty is full-screen rich media ads that they say causes higher click through rates than your average ads.

With the recent purchase of AdMob by Google, some people have wondered if Google would continue to allow other advertising networks on to the Android platform, but unless the Big G wants to face an antitrust lawsuit faster than Marissa Mayer can bake cupcakes, that isn’t going to happen.

So, if you’re developing for Android, you may want to give this a look.

Palm won’t be around in 2020

Don’t shoot the messenger on this one folks, but Michael Brush of MSN Money did a list of seven companies he feels won’t still exist in the year 2020.  One of those companies happens to be the maker of the Pre and the Pixi, Palm.

Mr. Brush gives us three reasons why he believes this:

• Apple iPhones have a lock on coolness, and apps bring in extra revenue. There are more than 100,000 apps for iPhones, compared with about 400 for Palm phones.
• The business crowd favors BlackBerrys from Research In Motion because of its secure, dependable and easy e-mail system.
• Google (GOOG, news, msgs) is coming on strong with Android, a Trojan horse offered at low cost so that Google can spread its operating system.

I have to say, it’s a bit difficult to disagree with those thoughts.  Of course, we are talking 10 years from now, and for all we know the number one phone by then may be The Angler … hey, it could happen!

Mobile Monday Format Change!

Starting on Tuesday of this week I will be writing daily mobile news posts Monday through Friday.  The Mobile Monday column will become an aggregator of what I wrote through out the week so you can digest the news in the way that best suits your lifestyle.

Enjoy!