Neowin.net

Everything up to this point has been a warm-up for something big happening at Google. The Android operating system from Google has seen its growth increase with the launch of such devices as the Verizon Droid and the Motorola Cliq. But reports are now surfacing of something bigger on the horizon for both Google and Android.

There are rumors of a new Google phone that isn't just another re-branded handset on a major cellular network. This new device will reportedly be a VOIP handset that allows you to make calls using the Google Voice service.

Rumors are circulating that HTC is said to be manufacturing the device for Google and it's said that the new device will not include a slide out keyboard in favor of Android's on-screen touch keyboard.

Google is said to be dictating every step of the Google phone hardware and software development and it will be Google's vision of what a phone should be. One source has mentioned that Google is planning to launch this device as early as January of 2010 with a huge marketing push to follow.

Several things remain to be seen, what will it look like, its size, if it will in fact ditch the physical keyboard, or if you will need a data plan of some sort for the phone to function. One thing is certain however, there are a lot of things coming out of Google lately and that can only mean good things for consumers, as there are certainly no shortages of handsets to choose from these days.