Inspired name
Some more established sources also started to release further bits of information.
The Wall Street Journal referred to its people familiar to the matter as confirming that Google will start selling its own phone, called the Nexus One (inspired name - Ed), direct to end-users next year.
Before long Allthingsd reported sources as saying that, while the Nexus One would be sold direct, there was also a role for T-Mobile to play.
Then Engadget reckoned it had found evidence that US regulators had approved an HTC handset called the NEXUSONE. The gadget blog was unsure about some of the details listed, but eventually got hold of a Nexus One and posted pictures of it. It was running Android 2.1 and featured no HTC logo.
There don't seem to be many specs available right now, but TechCrunch has sources that reckon it will be launched in early January (so maybe we can expect to see it at CES), runs on a Snapdragon SoC and has an OLED touchscreen. It seems to have a lot in common with the HTC HD2.
All this excitement will be closely followed by the rest of the mobile phone industry. With many operators and handset-makers committing heavily to Android devices, they're likely to be, at the very least, unsettled by Google deciding to cut them all (bar HTC) out of the loop and go it alone with an unlocked handset.
