Daily News : Cell Phones

TechCrunch is reporting that a Google-branded phone is expected to arrive in early 2010. While no hardware specifics are available, the device will be running the Android OS, and it will be designed entirely by Google. Recent reports also suggest that the phone may be data-only, utilizing VoIP for calls.

They were long planning to have the phone be available by the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer but will only have Google branding[...].

You may recall the fiasco over the Sidekick last month. The Microsoft subsidiary Danger, which maintains the data systems that stored Sidekick user data, such as pictures, reported a failure and loss of all customer information. T-Mobile subsequently stopped selling the device. Now the device is back on store shelves at $149.99, or $25 cheaper than its earlier price.

Initially, T-Mobile said that nearly all of the data was irrevocably lost and offered users gift cards and refunds. However, nearly a week later, Microsoft said it had restored nearly all the lost data.

Dell has announced its upcoming Android-based touchscreen phone dubbed the "Mini 3." The phone is set to release later in the month in China and will also be available in Brazil before the end of the year. While the Mini 3 will not be released in the United States, Dell confirmed it has future plans with carries such as AT&T and Verizon.

"Our entry into the smartphone category is a logical extension of Dell's consumer product evolution over the past two years," said Ron Garriques, president of Dell's global consumer group, in a statement. "We are developing smaller and smarter mobile products that enable our customers to take their Internet experience out of the home and do the things they want to do whenever and wherever they want."