Google phone is alive and real; HTC hot shots carry the Passion/Dragon

As we previously reported, Google is going ahead and will be offering an Android phone of its own in early 2010. Originally discussed with the 2009 holiday season in mind, the device will be heavily advertised at the beginning of the year. According to Tech Crunch, Google will have all of the input when it comes to the specs, features and design of the handset. The site says that they have heard that a Korean manufacturer will be building the device which points to Samsung or LG. The G-Phone (?) will be sold directly by Google and will also be offered by retailers.

In other Android news, Tech Crunch is reporting that the phone du jour that the big boys at HTC are carrying around for testing, is the Passion/Dragon that is heading to Verizon. As we previously reported, this is expected to be an Android version of the super spec'd HTC HD2 with a huge display and Snapdragon processor. The phone is supposed to be thinner than the DROID since it won't have a physical keyboard and the word is that it won't be too long until it is launched. Those Big Red customers who have been turning green with every HD2 video might be soon on the other end of that equation. So far, all we have seen of the device is a picture of an HTC display that is supposed to be that of the Passion.

HTC Passion Preliminary Specifications

source: TechCrunch