An official Google post on Saturday about a cell phone being “dogfooded” by Google employees worldwide renewed speculation that Google will brand and sell a mobile phone direct to consumers.
Unlike previous rumors of a Google phone – one more closely tied to Google than any other Android models – the latest reports call this one the real deal. Citing people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal put a name to the phone – the Nexus One, made by HTC. The phone will be sold directly to consumers rather than through a carrier, according to the report.
The Google post on Saturday morning came after employees sent tweets about their devices on Friday night. “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,” said Mario Queiroz, Google vice president of Product Management, in the post. “Well this holiday season, we are taking dogfooding to a new level.”
He explained that Google recently came up with the concept of a “mobile lab,” which is a device that combines hardware from a partner – the post did not name the hardware partner – with software that runs on Android. Google employees worldwide are testing the technology and will help improve it.
“Unfortunately, because dogfooding is a process exclusively for Google employees, we cannot share specific product details,” he said, giving a hint that more official information will come after the holidays: “We hope to share more after our dogfood diet.”
Over the weekend, sites like TechCrunch and Engadget posted pictures of the device, said to look like the HTC Passion and running a Snapdragon processor.
Filed Under: Devices
