I knew there would be an announcement today about Android because it was announced at the MobileBarCampNYC2 this weekend in Manhattan (see Attending Mobile Barcamp Saturday, November 10th, 2007 - Pace University).

Here's what Android is supposed to have:

The SDK included an Android emulator. Here are some screenshots from the software gPhone.
•There's a browser (no flash, but still better than the shipping Windows Mobile browser), address book, maps.
•Missing are YouTube, Gmail and Calendar apps.
•There are demos for OpenGL/3D, autocomplete, scroll bars, alarms, and pop-up notices with images.
•You know you can download and run this yourself, right now, for free. Right? Go!
•There's also a coverflow and grid type view for photos.
[Android SDK]

Again, two or three people from Google were talking about Android and the Barcode Reader they were writing using open source programming this weekend at MobileBarCampNYC2 but could not provide details then - they were told by Google Corporate not to release details till the SDK was announced today.

Another rumor - and we'll find out if it is true or not shortly if Google is going to purchase Sprint Nextel - TechCrunch seems to think that might happen - Today’s Fun Google Will Acquire ______ Quiz Question. Answer Starts With S And Ends In T  while Mashable doesn't think so - Google Buying Sprint Nextel? Doubtful.

What do I think?  Yes, I think Google would probably want to own a mobile carrier for two reasons:

1. Google Phone is only as good as a carrier to run it on

2. Buying up the 700MHZ Spectrum will be easier if it owns a Telecom.

As far as I can see - the question is not "if" as much as "when" and weather the purchase will push Google's stock prices even higher - and I think it would - because Google would then be much closer to locking up Mobile Telecommunications the way it's locked up Search.

But here's TechCrunch's arguments for a purchase by Google of Sprint Nextel:

"….Although it would be easy to scoff at the rumor (and it’s still very much in the unlikely bracket) as we know Google’s ambitions have no bounds. America’s 5th largest company is already trying to buy mobile spectrum in the United States, and is considering a similar move in the United Kingdom. Google also has its own mobile phone operating system on the way. The acquisition of Sprint may be unlikely, but so would the three moves listed here have been to anyone talking about Google 12 months ago."

GigaOM, a voice I respect, espeically on telecom issues - thinks this rumor of Google buying Sprint has substance - is viable and writes about it in a post titled Should Sprint Send Silicon Valley a Super Poke?

"…..and there is one way it could all make sense (that Google will buy Sprint Nextel).

Sprint spins out its WiMAX business. Let’s call it — for lack of a better name — 3rdPipeDream Inc. Sprint owns a big chunk of equity of this company, mostly because it owns a lot of spectrum and has built out some parts of the network. 3rdPipe then invites titans of Silicon Valley to invest. Since it is going to cost Sprint around $5 billion to build out its WiMAX network, it is safe to assume that 3rdPipeDream is going to need more than $5 billion.

Google (GOOG), Intel (INTC), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Apple (AAPL) and a whole slew of Silicon Valley companies that need the “third broadband pipe” could team up and invest in the new company – but on a premise that 3rdPipeDream will operate as a wholesale wireless broadband network, following the rules similar to the ones proposed by Google for the 700 MHz auction. Most of these companies are sitting on mountains of cash and could put it to good use by breaking the broadband duopoly."

And here's Mashable's arguement why it won't happen:

"….It seems to pop up from the fact that Sprint Nextel and Clearwire have gone their separate ways over the WiMax deal. Both Google and Sprint Nextel have been mentioned previously as working on a WiMax agreement, but this is the first we’re hearing of an outright purchase.

With the announcement of Google’s multi-carrier team-up for the mobile OS, Android, it seems fairly unlikely that Google would suddenly say “Hey, thanks for help developing and deploying this mobile platform… now we’re going in to direct competition with you!” This would be a good way to rack up some hefty legal fees as every carrier would take Google to task with the FCC over more issues than we could ever list.

Google is probably up to something with Android, and their apparent interest in buying a chunk of the 700 MHz band to be auctioned off next year, but this seems like an unlikely avenue for them. So far Google has stayed pretty firmly in the realm of software and serving up ads: to go in to a turbulent hardware industry, deal with monthly subscribers, and bring even more lawsuits against them for any number of things, seems unlikely.

Except one thing …. if Google did buy Sprint - it would automatically have all those things - the ability to deal with monthly subscribers and a much better chance of getting the 700 MHZ band that it needs.   After all, it's one thing to take on the Telecoms - it's quite another to split them from within - from Google Telecom - Google Sprint. 

I'm going to go out on a limb and say this rumor of Google purchasing Sprint Nextel has more going for it than against it - and if I had to bet one way or the other - I think Google will buy Sprint, if not now, within 6 months.

But that's just my opinion - hopefully I'm not all wet on this one.

I attended Mobile Barcamp Saturday, November 10th, 2007 - Pace University and there were a few people from Google who presented a session on Android, the new Google Phone (and barcode reader application) platform.  The SDK for Android is being released over the next week and so not that much could be shown.

According to CrunchGear in Old Man Dvorak says ‘the Google phone is doomed’  the Google Phone is doomed, Android is doomed according to John Dvorak.    While I didn’t see any indication of that while listening to Google’s pre-presentation of Android at MobileBarCamp2, I got the distinct impression that very little was presented to me that would be interesting, at least, not at this point.

Based on what’s being presented now – there’s really not much to say – Google is re-writing bar code scanning on mobile devices because it wanted a good open sourced version of that functionality and could not find one. 

Honestly, I tuned out on the rest and decided to leave Barcamp after the Google presentation – it was great yesterday but there was so much input I needed to go and paint.

My Google Phone Dream (the Google Dream post) was more than just a dream, it may, in fact, have been prophetic, judging from post in Gizmodo today; the dream seemed too real, too right on, so it does not surprise me that it's practically a fact the Google Phone, as of today, is in our future soon.

Somehow, the Google Phone is going to be very important - it's weird that of all the things I'd dream out …that's what I end up with - a Google Phone and two empty boxes.

"….On the software side, they're going to build a special version of Google Maps (complete with GPS), as well as have Gmail and Calendar compatibility. It's most likely going to have Google Docs compatibility too, but that wasn't specified. What's even cooler is that Google Talk, their free VoIP app, will be part of the suite. The OS could be Windows Mobile 6, or it could be a Linux-based OS, which would be even more interesting. [Crunchgear]"

Maybe 4 months ago, or so, I wrote a post about Google God - Google Truth - Part 2 - Google Phone and The Long Tail Painting where I painted the vision of the Google Phone and that Google had become the "God of the Internet":

Pastel on paper, 22 x 28 - Marshall Sponder - 2007

 I wonder if Om Malik is laughing out loud - he was right last December when wrote Forget iPhone, Think Google Phone:

"…It would be interesting to see if this comes to fruition. Google, in recent months has become increasingly aggressive about its mobile ambitions, and is pushing into the carrier space, though there have been some snags.

Google Phone, if you think about it is a reasonable speculation. Google has been aggressive in developing location based services, has amp-ed up its local search and mapping services. In addition, it has also been mobilizing its applications such as GTalk and GMail. YouTube, the video arm of Google, is beginning to embrace the mobile ecosystem."

Now, it's all beginning to come together - the whole Google Strategy with the 700 MHZ Spectrum that Google is also going to bid on to control.

I wrote about the 700MHZ Spectrum Google Deal several times, in fact. 

And now, as the pieces come together - we can see that Google needs it's own phone.  Honestly, my question to Google …..will the Google Phone be FREE?  I mean, almost everyone thing Google makes is free….why not the phone?  Or will we need to listen and view ads in order to get a free Google Phone?