Wasn't Google supposed to have already announced its Google phone?

That question comes to mind whenever I hear about Google's imminent plans to announce a Google mobile phone device, mobile operating system, or suite of mobile applications. But, here we go again.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting Google will unveil within two weeks its own "advanced software and services that would allow handset makers to bring Google-powered phones to market by the middle of next year."

The Journal report suggests Google may make its announcement in tandem with a handset maker such as Taiwan's HTC Corp. or South Korea's LG Electronics. The report also hints a Google announcement might also shed light on a partnership with wireless carrier T-Mobile USA or France Telecom's Orange SA.

For months now the blogosphere has been buzzing with speculation about Google's desire to make applications and services as accessible to mobile phones as they are to PCs on the Internet. But carriers, critics say, see Google's plan as a threat to their control over the user experience and profits. In August, according to Rediff News, Google was set to launch its mobile phone by early September.

A possible Google phone could include an "open" operating system that would allow third-party developers to create applications for the phone beyond mobile offerings already offered by Google such as Google Maps, YouTube, and Gmail, according the report.