TechCrunch reports that Google is building its own smartphone. Google already powers other smartphones, like the Motorola Droid, with its Android software but this would be a pure Google-brand phone.
Way more interesting are the rumors we’ve been hearing for months about a pure Google-branded phone. Most of our sources have unconfirmed information, which we describe below. But there are a few things we have absolutely confirmed: Google is building their own branded phone that they’ll sell directly and through retailers. They were long planning to have the phone be available by the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer but will only have Google branding (Microsoft did the same thing with their first Zunes, which were built by Toshiba).
Rumors for who Google's manufacturing partner will be include HTC, LG and Samsung. TechCrunch says Google is planning a big launch for the phone in January, 2010. It sounds like Google is trying to rain on Apple's potential Tablet parade. While Apple focuses on launching a tablet, Google will go after Apple's iPhone.
You can find discussion of the Google Phone rumor here on Techmeme.
TechCrunch 
