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The Federal Communications Commission has approved the much anticipated Google Android phone, and documents suggest a release date of about Nov. 10 at the latest.

That’s because in the document, the manufacturer of the phone, HTC, requests the Commission grant it a short-term confidentiality request on its design attachments until Nov. 10th, 2008.

If Nov. 10 turns out to be Android-HTC release date, this is in the window of our recent prediction it would be released between Oct. 15 and Nov. 30.

Note the Nov. 10 date could be used to confuse people intentionally. The FCC request by Apple for the iPhone, for example, had a longer confidentially request than it really needed (three weeks in that case).

Engadget broke the news of the FCC approval. The FCC documentation makes it clear that the most exciting things about the phone may remain confidential until as late as Nov. 10.

Documentation is here from HTC regarding fact that it has authorization, and a WiFi interoperatibility certification is here.

It has already been widely reported that the phone is called the HTC Dream. In the documentation, the handset is listed as type: “Dream,’ and model: “DREA100.” There’s also mention of a “jogball,” which has been seen on the handset in videos that have circulated.

The attachments for which confidentiality is requested include 1) schematic design, 2) block diagram, 3) theory of operation and 4) BOM.

Here are the next steps in the Android process:
1) release of public SDK [Update: This final Android SDK release has just happened.]
2) ADC winner
3) announcement
4) release

[Update 2: Google just published a roadmap that looks rather similar to the one we outlined.]

Google’s much anticipated Android mobile phone operating system, due to launch within the next few weeks, may actually be much more than a mobile OS. Industry sources tell us that although Android will indeed start as a mobile OS, Google intends to expand it to be a sort of universal operating system that will span set-top boxes for televisions, mp3 players and other communication and media devices and services.

Rumors about this plan have actually been circulating since last year. Google “chief internet evangelist” and Internet co-creator Vint Cerf hinted at Google’s larger focus during a talk on innovation journalism that we attended in 2006, before Android existed:

In an internet enabled world, there is no reason that a projector could not be online and downloading images, maybe using the Blackberry as a control device. Surrounded by networked equipment that is reachable anywhere, devices harnessed on a temporary basis to do something for you and then released. I am predicting that during this decade, we will see more systems interacting with other systems like this….

Another clue that Google’ has bigger things in store for Android: Android creator Andy Rubin was working on a digital camera before he started Android; co-worker Rich Miner convinced him to go to mobile in order to make money. Android is built on Linux, the open source software that’s already used in other desktop and mobile operating systems. This allows it to be easily repurposed for devices besides phones.

This is where some of Google’s other initiatives could come in, one source speculates. If the wider-ranging operating system is really what Google is doing with Android, well, the App Engine, Google’s web hosting and support service for developers, wouldn’t just be about helping web developers, it would provide services for Android developers. And, Google is also constantly improving the artificial intelligence capacity of its search engine, its spam filtering in Gmail, and a range of other services — Google is creating a supercomputer, driven by artificial intelligence. Through Android, it could let these developers build applications that use its brain. What’s more, this could explain why Google has been experimenting with free WiFi in Mountain View (which is pretty great, by the way), and with other wireless transmission experiments. It wants to create an ecosystem that relies on communication between any two devices. In some cases, maybe it wants to help your Android phone talk to, say, an Android-connected overhead projector.

Google already faces major competitors. The iPhone, the attention-grabbing leader in mobile software, is already being used as a sort of universal remote for Apple products, including iTunes and Apple TV. But Apple’s SDK gives restricted access to “small” developers. Microsoft, meanwhile, has a similarly grand vision of connecting all your devices with its Live Mesh platform, but it isn’t focusing on mobile, and the realization of this goal is a long way off. [Update: John Furrier has more analysis on Android versus Microsoft and others, on Broaddev.com.]

To make Android truly valuable, Google needs to have an active ecosystem of third party developers building useful applications, just as what happened with Microsoft’s desktop operating system, and is happening now on the iPhone.

But Google isn’t focused on the rank-and-file developers yet. It’s targeting the mobile operators and handset makers from the Open Handset Alliance — in fact, these partners have been given early access, sources say, to the version of the Android SDK that we’ve heard is slated to launch publicly in a few weeks. It understands it needs to offer them an ecosystem they can live with, before it moves to help smaller players.

Just look at the numbers. There were slightly less than 6 million users before the iPhone 3G launch. In the United States alone, T-Mobile has 30.5 million subscribers. T-Mobile plans to launch its HTC phones in stages, internationally (USA & Europe). From what we hear, Germany will be an early market, so add another 27 million subscribers to the comparison. If the system will work for T-Mobile and HTC, you can be sure others will follow.

For now, Google is in anti-PR mode. “It doesn’t want to have a dead cat found,” as one source puts it. There are many reasons for that. The Android team is small and so secretive, and from what we hear, not many people at Google headquarters know about what it is working on. Google understands that it needs to make its OHA partners look good. It appears to be leaving all press decisions to OHA members, including T-Mobile, which may explain the most recent stories about T-Mobile’s pending Android-powered phone.

So, the Android-powered HTC phone expected to launch in the next few weeks could continue to hurt Google’s standing . The blogosphere hasn’t treated Android well — the SDK has taken many months to get to this stage since it was announced last year. The anti-Android trend will likely continue as commentators compare the HTC and the iPhone (the iPhone is better), and also say the U.S. T-Mobile network is bad (it is). But that’s all besides the point. There will be more phones coming out. The Android SDK appears to be much more powerful, and the distribution possibilities will eventually be better as more mobile operators join the OHA — and as Android expands to other devices.

[Flickr photo of huge remote via flippbong.]

Over the past few days, we’ve gotten multiple confirmations from reliable sources that the first phone built on Google’s Android platform will launch in the next several weeks. It will be an HTC phone, likely the HTC Dream, and will be launched internationally on the T-Mobile network. A window of between Oct 15 and Nov 30 is most likely, according to these sources.

Around mid-July we received some information that T-Mobile had started its preparations for the Android launch. A few weeks later, there were signs from the Android team that development was wrapping up and that the final software development kit (SDK) for the device was nearing completion. A few days later we began hearing that not only was the first Android phone already in existence, it was in the midst of its “first series” phase. This means it is being distributed now among selected employees/managers at HTC, T-Mobile and informed third parties. Various organizational activities, including marketing and training of employees have already started as well.

In the past weeks, amidst reports indicating Android phones may be delayed and frustrations amongst Open Handset Alliance Members, we continually heard from both Google and HTC that the first Android phones would launch before the end of the year. Now we have solid first-hand information that the launch is just weeks away.

Let’s look at some of the problems which Google Android/the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) is supposed to have had in the last months:

* Developers supposedly have been staying away from Android and focusing on the systems already out there: BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Mobile and the iPhone;
* Open Handset Alliance Member Sprint was arguing that Google Android is not addressing “industry fundamentals more pragmatically”;
* Google was rumored to build its own “Gphone”;
* Most recently HTC is supposed to be “having structural problems to incorporate Google’s demanded feature set” and not being able to make it this year.

So what do we know ?
We quickly learned to distrust most of the speculation. We repeatedly asked Google to confirm launch dates. Answers included “phones based on the Android platform will be available in Q4 of this year” and “we remain on schedule to deliver the first Android-based handset this year.” We also learned that Google was keeping the latest version of the Android SDK from the majority of Android-focused developers as Zdnet reported.

Around mid-July, we had some information that T-Mobile started its preparations for the Android launch. At the beginning of August, there where signs from inside the Android team that they reached an important point in development. They released the final SDK for the Android Developer Challenge participants — suggesting the release to handset manufactures was near. Some days later we heard a confirmation from another, reliable source that T-Mobile is preparing the launch and this person was willing to share some actual information. After we learned this, we took it to others, and they were willing to talk. This is what we consider as confirmed information:

The first “Android phone” exists. It’s a HTC phone and it appears to already be in the “first series” phase as it is being distributed now among selected employees/managers at HTC, T-Mobile and 3rd parties. Various organizational activities, including marketing and training of employees, have started.

How will the phone look like and what are the phone’s characteristics? I can not confirm any of this, but I assume leaks wil start to happen now and in my experience Tmonews is quite well-informed, reliable and seems to have some insiders at various positions. This image from Tmonews (left), however, seems not to show the final version of the phone.

Also, I am certain that the circulating videos are false, as the devices are still kept in the closet. Also, I can comment on the release date. Tmonews, which I’ve linked to above, is speculating about Sept. 17th. From comments from our sources, and calculations about things like approval times, however, we assume a launch window of Oct. 15 to Nov. 30. The launch will be international, and held in stages.

Let’s break down some of our calculations:

We expect the final public Android SDK to be released in the next 4-6 weeks. We hear this time period from various sources and this view seems already to be pre-eminent on newsgroups. The developer release earier this month suggested that at the time the manufacturing of the “first series” was probably near. Information/troubleshooting from the “first series” will be included into the release. This final public release of the Android SDK will make more exact predictions possible.

From submitting the phone to the FCC until launch can take as little as four to five weeks. Take the iPhone, for example. It was submitted on June 1st, it was approved on June 9th and the relevant information was confidential until the July 11.

In the six weeks before the release, we will see a lot of leaks, news and occasional marketing. It seems that for the US, in terms of marketing, October 1st will be a significant day as that’s when T-Mobile USA wants to launch its 3G network.

We’ve already reported on the coming T-Mobile app store. There’s been much speculation on the nature of how the applications should be distributed. From the Google Android team, there are only general statements. Android’s Andy Rubin said at the Google I/O on May 28th that “I have nothing to announce today, but we thought of it. We wouldn’t have done our job if we didn’t provide something that helps developers to get distribution.” From what we hear, Google is apparently putting the applications stores into mobile operator hands. Can we expect other mobile operators from the Open Handset Alliance to switch to app store models?

Reports indicating a delay in HTC’s first phone utilizing Google’s Android platform are “inaccurate,” a representative from Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, the public relations firm that handles HTC, has informed us.

The representative goes on to specifically say that the first Android-based HTC phone is still set to launch “later this year.”

HTC was said to be having “structural problems to incorporate Google’s demanded feature set,” Barron’s reported Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research as saying. Based on this information and other checks he did, this led Chowdhry to believe that Android-based handsets set to be released this year could be pushed to early next year.

When asked for comment about possible Android delays, Google had the following to say:

“We remain on schedule to deliver the first Android-based handset this year and we’re very excited to see the momentum continuing to build behind the Android platform among carriers, handset manufacturers, developers and consumers.”

HTC would not confirm the legitimacy of the video posted earlier that supposedly shows the HTC Dream device running the Android operating system. There is some speculation that the video may have been leaked by someone within HTC to offset the rumors of the device delay.

[The image above is reportedly what the HTC Dream will look like.]

The video embedded below looks to be the first live glimpse of the HTC Dream, which is likely to be one of the first phones to utilize Google’s Android mobile platform. The video hasn’t been verified, but it certainly looks real enough, as The Boy Genius Report notes.

You’ll notice that it has a large touchscreen interface just like the iPhone, but that it also has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. This could be the killer feature that gives it traction against the iPhone.

Of course, the device has to actually come out first. A report just a few days ago indicated that structural difficulties were forcing HTC to push its release to early 2009. It had hoped to get the phone out before the end of the year.

A representative for Google reiterated to us that the first Android phones are on schedule to come out before the end of this year:

“We remain on schedule to deliver the first Android-based handset this year and we’re very excited to see the momentum continuing to build behind the Android platform among carriers, handset manufacturers, developers and consumers.”

We’ve contacted HTC about the legitimacy of the video and will update if we hear back.

Update: A representative from the PR firm that handles HTC, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide responded back to me saying that the reports of the delay of the Android device are “inaccurate,” but was unable to comment on the legitimacy of the video above. More info here.

It seems like once a month there is some talk of either delays or dismay surrounding Google’s mobile Android platform. Today brings a new report that the first phones built for Android, so called “Gphones,” could be delayed from the end of this year until the beginning of next year, according to Barron’s.

Specifically, one of the handset makers that is thought to among the first to deliver a device, HTC, is “having structural problems to incorporate Google’s demanded feature set,” Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry says. He goes on to say that he’s learned that developers are staying away from Android at this point because they are focused on the systems already out there: BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Mobile and of course, the iPhone.

Since the launch of the iPhone I’ve had a chance to talk to a lot of third party application developers and almost all of them have said they are staying away from the Android platform until they know more about it. That in and of itself is probably not a good sign.

While today’s report doesn’t have much else to it, it does follow one several weeks ago that said Android is facing a rocky road with certain aspects of the platform and that delays were a possibility. Talk of Android delays also surfaced in early June. Both times Google has maintained that the first Android enabled phone would launch before the end of 2008.

We’ve reached out to Google for comment this time and will update if we hear back.

Update: Representatives for both Google and HTC have now responded. HTC indicates the Barron’s report is inaccurate, while Google maintains the first Android phones will launch in 2008. More info here.

[photo: flickr/mackz]

Mobile phone manufacturer HTC (High Tech Computer) has given a name to its phone built around Google’s Android platform, the ‘Dream’. The device could be the first phone available that utilizes Android, according to InfoWorld.

Due out towards the end of this year, the phone is said to feature a large touchscreen display but will also have a full QWERTY keyboard. The latter is something which may make it more attractive to certain consumers than Apple’s iPhone, which utilizes a virtual keypad rather than a physical one. This ‘Dream’ keypad would either slide down or swivel out so as to fit on the device’s 5 by 3 inch frame, according to InfoWorld’s source.

Let’s just hope the device looks more attractive than the leaked pictures (shown on the left) of the Android prototype which resembled a TI-83 calculator.

Samsung is also said to be working on an Android device which could come out around the same time. Both Samsung and HTC are members of Google’s Open Handset Alliance, a group of developers committed to making a better mobile phone.

Proponents of Android say that it offers a more open environment from which to develop than a device such as the iPhone. Apple recently unveiled its SDK (software development kit) but some application makers have complained about the constraints of the platform (our coverage).

This news follows yesterday’s that Google has seen a surge in web usage on mobile devices (our coverage). Data earlier in the week showed that most iPhone owners use their device to surf the web (our coverage). Web browsing will be a key component of all Android-based phones.

Also see our thoughts on some of the security risks that could rise from these new breeds of phones.

Splashtop is a newly released technology that lets you browse the Internet within 20 seconds of pushing a PC’s start button. It has just gotten $10 million in venture capital to help it get to market.

See video below about how it works (RSS readers will have to visit site).

The technology is owned by DeviceVM, a San Jose, Calif. company. It works by offering you features without fully booting the computer. See full announcement here.

The company hopes to have the technology integrated in PCs and other products before they’re shipped. ASUS, the largest manufacturer of motherboards, will include DeviceVM on its new $360 ASUS P5E3 Deluxe model. It will brand the Linux desktop feature “Express Gate.”

The lead investor for this round is DFJ Dragon, the Chinese affiliate of Silicon Valley’s Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Other investors include Sumitomo’s venture arm, Presidio, HTC founders Cher Wang and Chen Wen Chi, and WR Hambrecht Ventures.

The funding follows quickly on the heels of a $10.5 million investment in August, led by Storm Ventures, and including DFJ Dragon, ASUS, iDInnovations (Acer), Harbinger (Mitac-Synnex), and angels.

DeviceVM falls into the hot category of “virtualization” (we first mentioned the company here). It was founded last year, and also has offices in China and Taiwan.