Google Nexus Two Rumours: Samsung Or Motorola?

Rumours persist that Google is returning to mobile phone hardware, with a Nexus Two Android smartphone, made by Samsung or Motorola, that may appear as soon as early November.

Google cancelled its Nexus One phone earlier this year, and has since told the media it has no plans for another Google-branded handset running the Android operating system, but rumours surfaced yesterday that Carphone Warehouse would have a Nexus Two in its shops by Christmas. Today, the rumour mill has shifted to the manufacturers, with leading Android supporters Samsung  and Motorola in the frame.

Google is back… with the Terminator?

The Nexus One, made by HTC, got good reviews, and Google said it had achieved its aim of raising the bar for Android handsets, when it cancelled it, receiving the last Nexus One phones in July.

Motorola is believed to be working on a new Android phone nicknamed T2 or Terminator 2, based on Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor, a dual-core ARM chip. According to the Android and Me blog, the phone will make current Ancroid phones look like toys, and is a pet project of Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha,  who is expected to lead the mobility division of Motorola when it spins off in 2011.

That might be the kind of step-change which could persuade Google to back a phone that would raise the standards for Android. Motorola’s Droid (known as Milestone in the UK) has been highly regarded.

However, the Samsung version of the rumour has a possible launch date of November 8, according to Softpedia, which notes Samsung has a press conference booked for that date in New York.

All sources agree that any Nexus Two phone would have to run Gingerbread, version 2.3 of the Android operating system, (which we mistakenly referred to as Version 3.0 last week). Gingerbread will include video calls, Google TV, and other video features.

Needless to say, all the companies named in these rumours have refused to comment.