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While a lot of the chatter online throughout the last months concerning the anticipated unveiling of what was being assumed was a Google (GOOG) Phone, the company has revealed that their mobile aspirations are for a platform, and not a phone in and of itself.

In an interview with USA Today, Andy Rubin, director of mobile platforms for Google said concerning the initiative that "Contrary to rumors, we are not announcing a Gphone, but instead a platform we built for cellphones. It's everything you need to build a cellphone and it has a very good mobile web browser. We've created the platform to be open source. We're hoping it brings Internet style development to cellphones."

Rubin added that they have been working together with 34 companies over a 3-year period to build the platform, and across five different business sectors - semiconductor firms…, hardware manufacturers, wireless operators, software companies and commercialization partners.

Some of the big name partners involved are Sprint (S), T-Mobile, Intel (INTC), Nividia, Motorola (MOT), Samsung, and Texas Intruments (TXN). In the case of Sprint, at this time they support the coalition of partners, but hasn't officially agreed to allow the platform to be opened up to its 54 million members.

For the wireless providers, the companies are allowing their proprietery products to be open sourced via linux, which will be overlayed with Java (computer language). Rubin also said the code for the devices will be announced on November 12.

The name of the project won't be Gphone, Rubin said, rather it will be called "Android," as far as it relates to the platform. There is no name for the phone, as it won't be branded by Google. Marketing will focus on the utility aspects of it rather than the brand.

In other words, partners with Google in this will be able to use the platform as a selling tool for their own branded phones.

On the other hand, Morgan Gillis, executive director of the LiMo Foundation, says Google is looking to brand a device sometime in spring of 2008. I wonder why there is such a discrepancy between the two statements?

Gillis also said that although the platform will be Linux-based, it will probably be difficult to transport to other service providers like Yahoo (YHOO).
 
Resisting the platform at this time are giants Verizon Wireless (VZ) and AT&T (T), who are talking with Google, but are wary of supporting Google at the detriment of their competitors. They're also concerned Google will turn cellphones into a mobile billboard.

Rubin says the company doesn't have plans to overload the system with ads.  

Basically what this is, is a play similar to Microsoft on desktop computers, offering an operating system for cellphones. Of course the key is whoever adopts it will be forced to use Google to navigate.

Probably the best news with this is the competition will force all carriers to improve their services, something that will benefit users in the long run. That's what's great about capitalism and business.