Despite the number of handsets running Android out there (hell, they've even got photo frames doing it now), Google doesn't seem too worried about locking horns with its own kin as it takes a shot at Apple's throne.
According to the gumshoes over at TechCrunch, we'll be seeing a no-holds-barred, dedicated Android phone from Google — not a handset such as the Droid, which flies under the HTC banner — and it could hit as soon as early next year.
Other details are spotty, such as if it have a physical keypad (doubtful), how big it will be or even what it will look like. There's also the question of cost, as it's thought that Google will be selling its phone directly through retailers.
What interests us most, however, is the question of if Google can make this phone really go toe-to-toe with the iPhone. Besides the company's well-earned innovative reputation, Google's phone will come after Android has established itself as a platform and the company has had other handsets — including the iPhone — to learn from.
Apple, on the other hand, managed to surge right to the top with a product the world has never really seen before, and is now an entrenched opponent.
