Google to unveil mobile software suite

Google is ready to unveil a suite of software for mobile phones based on open source technology, backed by some of the largest wireless industry companies in the world.

The company is expected to hold a press conference today to unveil the project, which is anticipated to incorporate software from the Linux world into a mobile platform code-named Android, according to sources familiar with Google's plans. A software development kit for what's being called "a complete mobile-phone software stack" is believed to be in the works and will be released relatively soon thereafter, the sources said. It's not exactly clear what kind of software will come as part of that stack but it's said to include everything you need to run a phone.

Japanese wireless carriers KDDI and NTT DoCoMo are said to be heavily involved in what will be called the Open Handset Alliance, according to other sources. The rest of the more than 30 other companies involved reads like a who's-who list of the mobile-computing industry, including Broadcom, HTC, Intel, Qualcomm, Motorola, Samsung, Sprint and Texas Instruments.

Don't expect to see a Google phone, or Gphone, on store shelves anytime soon. And in such a large project with so many different players, plans and some details could still change. It's also unclear when the final version will be released. Google has repeatedly declined to talk about the Gphone or confirm the upcoming event.

Persistent rumours of Google's interest in the mobile-phone market have captivated Silicon Valley and the wireless industry for months. The company's interest appears to be simple: there are more than a billion mobile phones in the world, and sales show no signs of slowing down.

Over time, these mobile phones are going to become more and more sophisticated, and the race to develop a truly mobile computer is wide open. Google has the engineering talent to make a concerted push into this area while keeping rivals such as Microsoft at bay, and it has enough resources to force the industry to take it seriously, despite its relative lack of experience in the market.

Android was the name of a mobile-phone software company acquired by Google in 2005 and led by Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Danger. It was never entirely clear what Android was working on but it appears to be coming to fruition.

The open source community appears to be contributing a lot of technology to Android. Google is expected to license Android under the Apache License, Version 2.0, according to sources.

News.com's Stephen Shankland and Elinor Mills contributed to this report

Tom Krazit writes for CNET News.com