The prospect of a Google phone has been long discussed in the blogosphere, but recent reports state that we could in fact see the GPhone in the very near future.The search engine has invested millions of pounds in the mobile phone project, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The GPhone handset, as it would be known, would be customised to be compatible with various Google products such as its email, search engine and Google Maps.
Google hopes its phones will be produced by a number of manufacturers and the handsets are not expected to be available for at least a year, the WSJ claims.
An unnamed spokesman for the company declined to comment on the project but told the newspaper that Google is "partnering with almost all of the carriers and manufacturers to get Google search and other Google applications onto their devices and networks".
The company is in the process of attempting to acquire spectrum in an auction scheduled to take place sometime before January of next year, which could see Google turn into a phone operator itself.
This move into the mobile market would take a considerable length of time, however, and the current bid to step into the mobile phone advertising market, which would see it cooperating with existing providers, is more immediate.
Google has already arranged with a number of companies to integrate some of its applications with their technology.
