The first official prototype of a phone running Google’s Android platform has debuted at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today. Upstaging the usually quick blog media, AP captured the first shot (above), left of picture we’ve blown up the phone for a closer look.

Samsung said yesterday that it won’t debut an Android powered phone until 2009, and AP reports that the first Android powered phones are due for a second quarter release, so despite earlier rumors of a February launch date, the world will have to wait for its GPhones.

Tune into CrunchGear for all the latest news from the Mobile World Congress.

San Ramon, CA based a la mobile has taken $6.75 million Series B in a round led by original investor Venrock. Under the deal, Venrock managing partners Ray Rothrock and Tony Sun join the a la mobile board.

a la mobile was the first company to offer a complete package of applications based on Google’s Android mobile phone operating system.

a la mobile is aiming to build a “bold, new paradigm to streamline the way mobile handsets are developed and deployed and to be the independent, open Linux system platform company for the mobile phone industry.”

(via PEHub)

San Ramon, CA based a la mobile has become the first company to offer a complete package of applications based on Google’s Android mobile phone operating system.

A a la mobile demo unit includes a Google browser, phone dialer, audio player, Google maps, camera, games, calendar, contacts manager, calculator and notes installed on a HTC Qtek 9090.

According to a USA Today report, although a la mobile is not a member of the Open Handset Alliance, it intends to pitch the prototype to handset makers.

Andy Rubin, Google’s senior director of mobile platforms told the paper that the coalition is on track to roll out an official Android-based phone in the second half of this year.

Google powered phones could be debuted as soon as February, according to speculation by APC.

It’s an interesting exercise in drawing the dots together to get to a completely unsupported conclusion, but there are some interesting facts APC has reported that are worth taking a look at:

You can bet that if Google’s handset partners lift the covers on their Android phones during the Mobile World Congress expo, which kicks off on February 11th in Barcelona – or if Google itself trots out a flock of phones to impress this annual powerhouse gathering of the global mobile industry (the company has booked two stands on the expo floor) – that these will be shiny snazzy models endowed with a very high ‘cool’ factor.

The emphasis is mine but it’s the key line: why does Google require two stands at a mobile conference?

There is some logic in the conclusion; it would be an ideal time for Google, manufacturers, or both to show off Google powered mobile phones, but still this is awfully quick, despite the shot recently of a GPhone in the wild. In 7 weeks we’ll find out one way or the other.

(image credit: Gizmodo)

Gizmodo has got their hands on a photograph (pic right) of a prototype phone running Google’s Android Open Mobile operating system. According to the report, the phone itself looks like it may have been manufactured by HTC.

What it means: The OS obviously works already, and this looks like a closed testing round to iron out the bugs, so there’s a good chance that Android is getting close to a broad scale release. The original reports said second half of 2008, it could be sooner.

The bad side: the handset. The original demo video showed a handset that was closer to an iPhone (although with keyboard) than a Blackberry, complete with touch screen interface, where as this…well if you like the aesthetics of a Blackberry it’s probably not that bad; Google is creating an OS that will be used on many phones, so we’re likely to see nicer handsets than this. Lets hope that in this case looks are deceiving, otherwise Scoble will be right, and we cant have that

(via CrunchGear)

An interesting new patent was published August 30 that would suggest that Google is developing a mobile phone payment system.

The Text Message Payment patent details a system where by Google offers a mobile focused payments under the title of GPay.

Examples of payment scenarios given in the patent include paying for goods from a vending machine, as well as purchasing items directly from offline retailers.

Whilst it’s certainly possible that the GPay Mobile payments system could well be platform independent, given the very strong indication that Google is preparing to launch a mobile phone, GPay could end up as an exclusive GPhone offering, one that gives Google the jump over other mobile operators by enabling mobile payments natively from the handset.

Mobile payment systems aren’t new; I can pay for parking locally via mobile phone now, however what Google is suggesting in the patent is something that is far broader, and perhaps more importantly independent of mobile phone carriers and their billing systems. Google competitor PayPal currently offers their own mobile payments system, but despite launching in March it hasn’t set the world on fire; Google on the other hand would have the advantage of embedding GPay in the GPhone.

Thanks to Patrick for the tip.

Todays completely unsubstantiated rumor comes from Rediff News, a usually well respected source of news based in India. Rediff is reporting that the Google Phone is set to be launched in 2 weeks time! The GPhone is said to simultaneously launch in both Europe and the United States, with the only thing standing in Google’s way being US regulatory approval.

The report goes on to claim that Google is believed to be in talks with a number of Indian telcos.

If speculation is any guidance, the certainty of there being some sort of Google mobile device in development is a given. The Register reported in March that a European Google executive confirmed the existence of the GPhone and other reports go back to 2006; Om Malik reporting in December that a Google phone was being developed for release in 2008. Engadget posted alleged pictures of the GPhone in January 07 (see pic) with notes claiming that the device was a button-less touchscreen phone that came with GPS built-in for pinpoint navigation around Google Maps. ZDNet wrote that the phone was said to be 3G with built in Wifi and was designed by Samsung. The Register again reported in early August that the GPhone would include 3G, Wifi and GPS, and that UK mobile operator Orange was in talks with Google to carry the device.

Google has continued to deny rumors of the phones existence, but has taken a more public interest lately in the mobile phone sector, confirming that it was likely to bid for a slice of the soon to be released 700mhz spectrum in the United States. Google as a mobile phone operator would make a lot more sense if Google were also preparing a GPhone that was automatically fine tuned to work with Google’s variety of applicable services, including Gmail, Maps and Google Docs.

Any Google phone will also be immediately compared to Apple’s iPhone. Whilst the iPhone provides an attractive package, it has so far only taken a small marketshare in the US cellular market, and is yet to have been released anywhere else in the world. A 3G (and therefore quicker) internet focused GPhone with a broad release worldwide could well present a strong competitor to Apple.