Any one else think the passion is the Gphone?

Passion is definitely not the Google phone. The Google phone is definitely going to be a GSM phone and will not be on Verizon. The Google phone is more than likely going to be made by HTC and they already have protos in testing and should be out there to Google employees very soon, so don't be surprised to see spy pics in the near future. But, from my understanding this is going to be using Google voice as part of the phone and will probably use the user's phone number piped through Google voice to rid of voice usage. So, whoever carries the Google phone will more than likely just be paying the provider for data and using Google Voice for SMS and voice.

 

Passion is probably CDMA. HTC made the passion. The Passion has supposedly been tested with real world use from upper google employees. Is there any info saying that Passion will not be Google Voice equipped? All your info is either neutral to the idea of the passion being the google phone, or is in favor of the Passion being the Google Phone.

 

So if it's being sold as an unlocked handset directly from Google, will it support all 6 existing UMTS/HSPA 3G bands across the globe? If not, at least someone's getting left out in the cold: AT&T, T-Mobile, or the rest of the world.

 

You think HTC would release the Passion and an HTC made gPhone at the same time for the same carrier? gPhone is vaporware (for the immediate future). At least the idea of the Passion is not only plausible but inevitable (HTC made, next gen hardware, android 2.0).

 

what makes the passion any less vaporware? has anyone seen any legitimate evidence for it besides some obscure picture and someone saying "yeah a friend of a friend who works at google says google employees have been walking around with the passion for a while now"

I mean, it'd be great if it did exist, but it doesn't have any more evidence than the gPhone

 

Yes, I had the same thought that the Google phone might be the Passion. There is certainly some history to support it:

-HTC made the first phone that was supposedly mostly designed by Google, the Dream/G1
-HTC sometimes makes phones that are branded by other companies. For example, HTC made the Sony Xperia X1 and the Palm Treo Pro.
-Most importantly, HTC has made a Google-branded phone in the past that was also sold in an HTC-branded version, the Google Ion / HTC Magic / HTC MyTouch 3G

The G-Phone might just be a replacement for the Ion, and it might make sense for Google developers to want a CDMA phone with support for WVGA resolution. At the time Ion came out, Android only supported GSM and WHVGA resolution. A new phone would give their developers enough hardware to cover both 3G protocols and the wider range of resolutions.

 

Considering HTC not only made the first Google Phone, but has also made both Google Developer devices I would say the chances are good that either the Passion and Google Phone are the same OR that work stopped on the Passion for the Google Phone.
Though honestly I dont quite get the supposed complaining from Google about a "true" android OS. You cant have a "true" version of an open development system. Also being that most agree that Sense UI is the best interface with android I would wonder if the Passion will not represent the most interaction Google has with a phone maker and thats why there is talk about a Google Phone.