The Google Phone, or "gPhone", the much-speculated handset from the search giant that was rumored to bundle a fresh operating system and the company's most frequently used services, was today proven just that--a rumor. Today, however, Google introduced the new "Android" platform, which will find its way into a slew of phones from a variety of manufacturers, courtesy of the Open Handheld Alliance.

 

Android is a new Linux-based, open-source platform from Google, as well as HTC, Motorola, Qualcomm, T-Mobile, and others (noticeably absent names from the Alliance are AT&T, Microsoft, Nokia, and RIM), that's designed to give mobile phone users a full-featured Internet experience. Although many details remain unknown, such as Android's features and the look and feel of the OS, it will include an HTML browser that enables it to replicate the desktop Web-surfing experience (advanced audio, video, and games), and it will be able to work across many phone types, ranging from basic to smart phone. The first Android-powered phones are to hit the market in the second half of 2008, but we hope we won't have to wait until then to get a glimpse of the platform: Next week, the Open Handheld Alliance will release an early SDK to developers to create applications.