A blogger claims that he knows Google will release a smartphone or VoIP phone, usually referred to as the gPhone. Find out why it's likely not real here.
TechCrunch recently posted a story where Michael Arrington claimed that he knew for a fact that Google would release a gPhone smartphone soon. Today, Arrington posted a follow-up that suggested the gPhone would in stead be a VoIP phone powered by Android, and that it would possibly be subsidized by AT&T Wireless.
AT&T is currently investing heavily in upgrading its wireless infrastructure to meet the increasing wireless data demand, and the carrier recently opened a specific lab for testing new types of devices that doesn't fit in the smartphone or cell phone category.
However, we doubt a gPhone with VoIP technology would be considered by AT&T as the right fit for their portfolio in the near future. In all honesty, it would then be more natural to see AT&T offering a smartphone at some point where Google has been close to the development.
Of the four major U.S. carriers, AT&T is now the only carrier that doesn't offer Android smartphones. It's a fact that AT&T is not a member of the Open Handset Alliance though, at least not officially. That said, most of AT&T's initial concerns about Android as a platform should have been solved now that Android has hit version 2.0.
We would absolutely be caught off-guard if AT&T's first Android device would be a VoIP device though, given the carrier has yet to officially acknowledge that Android has a viable future as a mobility platform of any kind.
For the time being, the best bet seems to be a Dell smartphone subsidized by AT&T, based on the rumors of the Dell Streak and the fact that Dell recently mentioned AT&T Wireless among a slew of carriers they're looking to expand wireless activities with.
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