For those of you who don't follow the gadget world as closely as my alter ego who writes for Gizmodo, there have long been rumors of a Google Phone (as in cellphone) hitting the market and revolutionizing life as we know it. Today the Google Phone was officially announced, not as one particular phone, but as a software platform (like Palm or Windows Mobile) that will run on Sprint and T-Mobile phones produced by big companies like LG, HTC, Motorola and Samsung when launched in 2008. So why should gamers care?

The 34 members of the Open Handset Alliance will be helping to develop this important software—one of whom is NVIDIA, the same company who makes up the yin of ATI's yang in providing 3D bliss to gamers on different platforms around the world. This partnership by no means implies that the Google Phone will be a gaming machine ala N-Gage, but that Google is taking the right early steps to support the potential of some pretty gaming on their newest endeavor. So now you know.

GPhone is Official - A Software Platform For Cellphones [gizmodo]