When anyone thinks ‘Google’, there are a number of things that spring to mind immediately: one is quality, in terms of services and products that span a bewildering array of genres. The second is undoubtedly the interconnection between the services, and being able to mesh various components to work seamlessly with each other to make work, if not life, very efficient. 

Therefore it was fairly understandable that when Google debuted their mobile operating system, there was quite the furore. Excitement and anticipation was rampant as the first Android-powered phone hit the markets. There were a number of hiccups along the way, as the launch was delayed and postponed till Google enthusiasts gnawed their nails to the quick. However, finally the operating system arrived – unfortunately it was not exactly up to expectations, nor was it an altogether failure. (Who knows; perhaps consumers would have been happier if it had failed spectacularly. ‘Mediocre’ and ‘Google’ were never used in the same context before.)

Since then Google has seriously cleaned up the Android mobile operating system. In fact, there is talk of the relatively fledgling operating system successfully taking on the mighty iPhone and its Apple technology. Of course, for those of us who love to hate the iPhone, this news is brilliant. 

In mobile history, a couple of months can be the equivalent of centuries, as products fade from memory once the launch and all the associated hype is over. So in the hazy recesses of memory, somewhere there was a mention of a Google Phone. 

News of a Google-made device was doing the rounds of the Internet; technology sites were posting tantalizing shots, taken in darkened circumstances, generally seen with top secret military operations. Plus it was their first actual product; not a service, but a physical product by Google. The mythical device was reported to package the Android, of course, but that wasn’t the charm: it was after all a Google product.

Unfortunately, the speculation died away, as it remained unsubstantiated. The G-Phone was a hoax.

Therefore as the latest news of a Google Phone emerges, there is an inexplicable longing to believe the rumours. Yet at the same time there is hesitation and an unwillingness to be disappointed once again. 

The rumours doing the rounds are that Google is going to release the phone sometime next year, possibly during either the first or second quarter. The entire handset is going to be Google, although chances are that the actual manufacturing process will be outsourced to a seasoned phone company; operating under the Google directive of course. This isn’t an uncommon practice, as it is unlikely that Google will have the manufacturing infrastructure in place to produce a phone in a short span of time. 

Perhaps the rumours are a hoax, emerging from the twisted mind of a mischief-maker, ensconced comfortably in their basement, sadistically enjoying putting the technology-crazed Internet world into an expectant tizzy. Or perhaps the rumours have some foundation in fact. Maybe next year we will see a Google Phone sporting Android insides. It all remains to be seen.