According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple-BFF and mobile-telecom-extroidinaire AT&T is in talks with Google about joining the Open Handset Alliance. In an interview today, Ralph de la Vega -- chief executive officer of the company's wireless unit -- said that the provider is, "Analyzing the situation," concerning the use of Google's Android operating system for some of its handsets. Although Mr. de la Vega hasn't personally met with the search-engine giant, the fact that AT&T is even considering joining the Alliance could have a palpable impact on the industry's perception of the forthcoming mobile OS contender. As you'll recall, T-Mobile and Sprint have already jumped on the OHA bandwagon (though to what extent no one knows), and adding the de facto US leader to the mix might really get this stew boiling over. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

[Via Information Week]

You've watched, you've waited, you've sent lengthy, shameless requests to Santy Claus... and now your dreams have come true. The gPC, Everex's $200, Linux-based, Google-tinged-OS sportin' machine is once again available at your friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart. If you'll recall, the desktop PC (known in good company has the TC2502) was quickly snapped up by shoppers hoping to avoid the wallet-burning prices of typical Windows-equipped offerings. The system, sold without a monitor, includes a 1.5GHz VIA processor, 512MB of RAM, a DVD-ROM / CD-RW optical drive, and an 80GB hard drive. Not to outdo themselves with all these exciting, open source vibes, Everex also offers a Vista-endowed version of the system for $298. Both are available now wherever you get your Chinese-made popcorn.

Thanks to the helpful Android OS emulator included with the SDK, we've been able to take a magical journey through Google's new mobile phone platform. We'll just tell you now... the ride was a bit familiar -- but hey, that's what the open source community is there for. Take a look at the gallery and feel the OHA vibes.

C'mon, you knew this was coming. Not a moment after Google does its big reveal on the Android OS and forthcoming multi-manufacturer GPhone, the rumor mill has already starting churning with wild imaginings and fantastic leaps of logic. A not-so gigantic jump comes as speculation that HTC's Omni -- which we first heard about nearly a year ago -- is actually the phone that has been referred to as the "Dream," Google's OS demo unit. We have to admit, there are some similarities between the two, not the least of which are the 3-inch by 5-inch size, rectangular touchscreen, full QWERTY that swivels out (which according to this earlier rendering, goes in more than one direction), and a beveled edge that "nestles in the palm." We remind you, of course, that this is just the first in a long line of rumors trying to pinpoint the "real" GPhone -- HTC or otherwise -- so don't get too excited just yet.

Update: As a commenter points out, the "earlier rendering" is actually the precursor to the Omni, the HTC Universal, though its screen mechanism bears a resemblance to the one described in the original Forbes article.

8:58AM PT - Ok, we're on the call, and there's soothing classical. We'll "be underway in a few minutes."

9:02AM PT - Ok, we're about to begin!

9:04AM PT - "Welcome everyone to the Google, Inc. conference call. Today's call is being recorded." Yeah, by us! Elliot Shraig (sp) from Google is on. "We have a number of companies here with an exiting announcement to make in the mobile space."

Sergey and Eric from Goog, Peter Chou from HTC, Zander from Moto, plenty of heavyweights. Eric Schmidt is kicking off -- Andy Rubin will join for the Q&A.

9:05AM PT - "Thanks everybody, for joining us. We're obviously very, very happy that this announcement is going out today. To give you some context, there are 3 billion mobile users worldwide... getting people access to information is very important. On Google's side we have a two part strategy... the part we want to talk about today is creating a whole new mobile experience for users, and we're going to do that with Android."

9:06AM PT - "Google along with 33 other companies are announcing Android, the first truly integrated mobile operating system. ... What's particularly notable is that it's available under a mobile open source license. It's incredibly important to say that this is NOT an announcement of the 'Gphone'... we hope there will be thousands of 'Gphones'..."

9:08AM PT - "... an unprecedented mobile platform... We couldn't do this alone. ... Users will have much better access to mobile experiences." Slow down, Eric!

Google will be holding a conference call at noon eastern to unveil the details of its long-rumored Android mobile operating system. Joining CEO Eric Schmidt will be other members of the 34-member Open Handset Alliance, including the chief executives of Deutche Telekom, HTC, Qualcomm, and Motorola. According to the press release, the "Android platform will be made available under one of the most progressive, developer-friendly open-source licenses," and will be composed of a "fully integrated mobile 'software stack' that consists of an operating system, middleware, user-friendly interface and applications." More details to follow.

Read - Google press release
Read - Android mobile OS overview
Read - Google blog: "Where's my Gphone?

Look, we know how you feel -- rumor mongering over the Google Phone (or OS) and its supposed appearance (in a multitude of forms, with an avalanche of partners) has reached the tipping point where it goes from exciting to annoying. That said, when the Wall Street Journal (amongst others) mentions a date or a place, you tend to pay attention. The stock-market rag is now reporting that the infamous GPhone will be making its official appearance on Monday. On the flip side, some say the story is that Google-partner Android will deliver news of an SDK for a new mobile OS -- a "complete software stack" based on Linux. Of course, we're not going to be placing any bets on said activity (nor should you), because with the way things have been playing out thus far, it seems pretty unwise to make wagers -- unless they're on the fact that no one really knows right now. So, if by Monday night you're sobbing uncontrollably because the obviously-life-changing device / software never made a showing, don't say we didn't warn you.

Read -- Ring-Ring...Google to Announce Phone Plans Monday
Read -- Google to unveil 'Android' phone software

Everex -- riding high on the semi-propulsive steam that is currently buoying the company into the public eye (due to its Ubuntu-based, $198, "gOS" Wal-Mart desktop) -- is about to take things to the next sub-level. According to reports, the company plans to launch a line of ultra-cheap laptops next year, ranging in size from 12.1-inch to 17-inch, starting at under $300. Like its desktop brother, the portable computer will feature the company's custom operating system, which puts the emphasis on Google webapps with familiar icons, and a launch-bar with links to the ubiquitous portal's content. "The intent of gOS is to take [Linux] to the consumer and do what Steve Jobs did with Mac OS X-- to take an alternative OS and package it for the consumer," says David Liu, founder of gOS -- though it's clear they've got an uphill battle for the hearts of Wal-Mart buyers. There's only one question on our minds: will the laptop be as hideously ugly as the desktop?

There just wouldn't be balance in the world if a select few didn't come out and starkly disagree with the obvious, right? Somehow, a number of analysts have managed to overlook the smorgasbord of hints, clues and signs that Google is indeed working up some form of software (or hardware) for the mobile realm, and moreover, they're speaking out to denounce the possibility. Specifically, Ken Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner, made himself a target by stating that "building an OS is the dumbest thing [Google] could do," and he even led us to believe that he's a developer in a parallel universe by announcing that "cellular telephone code is probably the hardest code to write per line of code for anything." Still, we're beyond the point of wanting Google to come out of the woodwork and say something, but considering the numerous reports claiming that the search giant is indeed in talks with select carriers, it's hard impossible to believe that there's nothing going on behind the scenes.