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Rumors have been mounting over the past two months surrounding the existence of the fabled Google phone, a device that the mobile community has anticipated with baited breath for some time now. As more details come to light concerning the alleged Google phone, one wonders if Apple views the device as a legitimate competitor to the iPhone.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt commented recently that the company would be working with Apple on "new things" in the near future. Apparently, mobile technology isn't on the list of partnership initiatives for the two Internet giants, considering the fact that all evidence points to the release of a Google phone that will directly challenge Apple's iPhone for a foothold in the market.

Speculation has been rampant concerning the Google Phone's design ever since photos were originally leaked to Engadget. Now, the blogosphere has something else to chew on, as a poster at the MobileBurn forums is reporting to have received a survey questionnaire about the device, along with updated product photos.

Chris Zeigler at Engadget breaks down the information:

Everything seems believable enough, though it seems like they flip-open QWERTY keypad could be a bit tricky to access from the right side thanks to the permanently-affixed nav buttons; features are said to include 3G data, WiFi, and a 2 megapixel camera, not to mention a rather striking Samsung-penned chassis. Typical test-marketing survey mumbo jumbo suggests that the phone would offer "all the exciting Google services from the PC" and -- thanks largely to targeted advertising -- affordable (as it's been suggested) flat-rate data service and a three-month trial.

There's still no solid release date for the Google Phone, so Apple will probably have the advantage of being first-to-market with the iPhone, if indeed that's an advantage at all. Affordability will be the major competitive edge that Google's mobile device would presumeably have over the iPhone. The Google phone's price tag could be the feature that gives the most fits to existing mobile carriers as well.