Why should you care about the HTC Passion? For starters, it should be the first 1 GHz Snapdragon Android phone that is available for purchase in the United States. It will also be the first Android 2.x device for T-Mobile and could be the first Android 2.1 device in the United States. The device will also feature HSPA 7.2 which will make it the fastest 3G in the nation.

Reported specs include:

• 1 GHz CPU Snapdragon QSD8x50
• 4.3 in capacitive multitouch display
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
• 512 MB ROM / 256 MB RAM
• Android 2.x
• 3.5 mm headphone jack

Could this end up being the Google Phone?

I believed the rumor and speculated Walmart could be their retail partner. We tried to get a comment from Google and were met with, “We do not comment on market rumor or speculation.”

Ten days later, CNET posted a story titled “Google: We’re not making Android hardware” and the rumor slowly faded away. They based their report on a conversation with Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering for Android at Google.

“We’re not making hardware,” Rubin said. “We’re enabling other people to build hardware.”

Today, I awoke to a new story from TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington: “The Google Phone Is Very Real. And It’s Coming Soon.”

His report is void of any hard facts, but I tend to believe Mr. Arrington is pretty credible. I’m still a rookie in the blogging world, but I fully understand what happens when someone gives you exciting info and you are unable to reveal your sources. My point is, he wrote the article for a good reason and he most likely believes what he is reporting on.

Details of the Google Phone are scarce, but it is now rumored the device slipped from this holiday season and will ship in early 2010. It is believed to be manufactured by a Korean company, LG or Samsung, with Mr. Arrington believing Google has chosen LG. A huge marketing push is expected for January.

Based on what I know about Google they want to run the New World Order I believe the rumor and I actually applaud them for having the balls to move forward on such a decision.

If Google tried to pull this move last year, it would have not went over well. All the handset makers might not have backed Android if they knew Google was going to be competing against them. Now some of the largest handset companies have sold their soul to Google are committed to Android and it would be disastrous for them to retool their plans.

I’m all for competition, but it worries me how the Android operating system is being developed behind closed doors. Certain companies of the OHA obviously had preferred status and were allowed early access to Android 2.0 before everyone else. If Google brands their own phone, they will certainly have the upper hand when it comes to the latest versions of Android (most of the Android engineers have checks signed by Google).

All of the sudden, Google’s takeover of Gizmo5 is starting to make a lot more sense. Here is another hint: Qaulcomm Gobi.

I’m really curious to hear what our readers think. Is Google playing their hand too early? Will this piss off other companies? Would you purchase a Google Phone? What price point would you like to see the device sell for? What missing features do you want Google to add to their phone?

Allow me to spread some crazy ideas and start some new rumors.

Who will make the phone?

A report from TheStreet is claiming Google “would probably use a partner they are familiar with” to get the phone to market. In my head, that would be limited to HTC and Motorola. HTC worked closely with Google to produce the first Android phone and Motorola has been cozy with Google working on Android 2.0.

I’m going to assume this first Google phone will be low priced since it will be sold through retail channels and not subsidized by a big carrier.

Motorola has expressed desire to bring Android to feature phones. They announced during their last earnings call that their iDEN portfolio (Boost Mobile) would include Android devices.

Sanjay Jha, the Co-CEO of Motorola said, “Our core strategy really is to take Android and take Android to as low down the feature phone tier, as we possibly can, by bringing in Smartphone features, best of Internet, best of messaging, best of multi-media, best of location services.”

However, Android is not currently equipped to run on feature phones and I doubt Motorola would be able to produce a device in time for this holiday season.

A more likely partner for Google would be HTC. The Taiwan-based manufacturer has been producing Android phones longer than any other company and has the most Android devices currently in the market. HTC also has a low-end Android device (Tattoo) that is ready to go.

Who will sell the phone?

Again, I think the choices are limited for Google. The only two retail partners I can think of are Best Buy and Walmart.

Best Buy would be a likely candidate because they recently partnered with Google to produce mobile applications. Forbes actually reported that the two companies were “lining up exclusive distribution rights for highly anticipated gadgets.” When I first read that story, I had no idea what they were referring to, but you could decipher that to be related to this surprising turn of events.

If Best Buy is going to sell the phone, would would provide service?

The above question leads me to Walmart who recently announced their new cellular offering Straight Talk. The service is post paid (no contract), offers flat rate pricing, and uses the Verizon network. An unlimited everything plan is available for $45 a month.

I’m not sure what kind of relationship Google has with Walmart, but who can think of a larger distribution channel?

Straight Talk is the new cellular service from Walmart.

What network will power the phone?

This new Google phone needs a network to run on and Verizon has the largest 3G coverage by far. Given that Straight Talk runs on the Verizon network, this could be a viable option. Google obviously has a good connection with Verizon since they chose the carrier to launch Android 2.0 (when the Moto Droid ships in November).

The problem with Verizon is that their current network is CDMA (only popular in the U.S.). Google may choose a GSM carrier like AT&T or T-Mobile in order to launch a phone that works all around the world.

Verizon has the largest 3G network in the United States.

[via TheStreet]