TechCrunch was certain that rumors of a pending honest-to-goodness Google Phone were the real deal, and now according to the site, Google employees are already tweeting with the devices in hand. If you believe what you see on Twitter, Google drones were given the HTC-designed handsets at an all-hands staff event, and the phone is quite a looker. One tweet reads "ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It’s beautiful." while another says the phone is "Like an iPhone on beautifying steroids." One other, non-Google user on Twitter who’s seen the device says that the device is a bit thinner than the iPhone, has a trackball (a la Hero), and has no physical keyboard… which sounds like the Bravo / Passion we’ve seen a lot of lately (and we hear is coming to the US soon).

Apparently the device is running Android 2.1, is unlocked and AT&T-ready (no word on 3G status, but this could line up with our speculation about this being the carrier’s first Android phone), and will be due sometime in January. We’re guessing if that last bit is true, it will coincide with a CES announcement, but anything could happen at this point. If the device is out in the wild in such a big way, an end of the year press release wouldn’t shock us either; of course, it’s entirely possible that this is going to end up becoming the Android Dev Phone 1′s true successor or an elaborate prank on Google’s part in response to the rumors that have been building steam over the past couple weeks (they’re crafty and they have a sense of humor — it could happen). Anyhow, check out one of the tweet-tears after the break, and stay tuned for more info!

Via -  Engadget