Don't look now, but it seems Google is teaming up with wireless broadband provider Clearwire in order to bless its customers with the Google Apps communication suite. Though no definitive date was provided, Clearwire will "soon" begin migrating its users to Gmail / Google Calendar sometime during the first half of this year, and furthermore, these same folks will also have access to Google Talk. Beyond all that, however, is quite a bit of lovin' coming from both sides, and Clearwire's chief strategy officer Scott Richardson even went so far as to say that he "looked forward to expanding its working relationship with Google." Quite the interesting tag team, wouldn't you say?

One can't help but wonder if the recent decisions regarding the FCC's 700MHz frequency auction aren't having an effect on Google's desire to bring a WiFi phone to market as quickly as possible. What better way to use the new "open" frequency than to put Google Talk on a device and get it into the hands of customers about to get "choices" for what they're using to ride the celestial-wavelengths? According to sources, a Taiwanese ODM called Wistron NeWeb has entered "design-in development" for phones with Google Talk compatibility. Of course, we've heard similar rumors before, but the company already makes Skype phones, so moving the technology to Google's implementation of VoIP would be easy as pie -- and who doesn't like pie?

[Via SmallNetBuilder]

If downloading a whole entire app for making VoIP calls is just too much commitment, or perhaps you'd like to get in a few free phone calls on some random PC you don't quite have that kind of privilege with, SIPphone has quite a dealio for you. The builders of Gizmo Project have just unveiled Gizmo Call, which allows you to make phone calls from your browser, using a Flash-based mini-app. You get five minutes a day of free calls to any phone line, along with unlimited free calls to users of Google Talk, Windows Live, Gizmo Project and any other SIP service. There are fancy little "Call Me" links you can hand out to your friends, along with the ability to customize your CallerID to make your call look like it's coming from your mobile or landline. The service is live now, so start pranking your friends before they catch on!

Just 'cause Skype gets all the coverage doesn't mean vendors have forgotten about other VoIP alternatives. Take the lovable Google Talk, for example. Taiwan's Alpha Networks is all ready to produce a WiFi phone with Google Talk compatibility, they're just waiting to sync up with "clients' product roadmaps" -- whatever that means. The phone should also have Gmail capabilities, and Alpha is planning to develop a video phone as well. Whether that points to Google Talk-based video chat, and whether some sort of forthcoming Google Video Talk product is on one of those "clients' product roadmaps" is purely irresponsible (and entertaining) speculation on our part.

As promised, Nokia has just posted the Internet Tablet 2006 operating system for download -- although as of this writing you get redirected to an error page -- giving 770 owners access to those handful of new features announced last month. You'll recall that instead of dropping a QWERTY-equipped version of the tablet as we were hoping/expecting, Nokia disappointed more than a few fans by only unveiling a software upgrade that adds an on-screen keyboard along with the Google Talk client. Even worse, Nokia warns that "installed applications designed for OS 2005 will not be compatible with OS 2006 edition and will not be restored even from backup," so kiss your old apps goodbye if you're planning on upgrading. Still, current 770 owners will probably want to take plunge just so they can run programs developed exclusively for the new OS, and hopefully the software 'board will suffice until Nokia takes our advise and changes up the input style in the next generation of WiMax- and webcam-sporting tablets.

[Thanks, Alessandro Z.]

So instead of revealing that upgraded version of the 770 Internet Tablet as we expected them to today, Nokia flipped the script on us and announced that the Google Talk and keyboard features we had been anticipating will actually be coming in the form of a software upgrade. The good news is that these new features -- part of the company's so-called Internet Tablet 2006 OS -- will be available to current 770 owners through a simple update, although those folks who were expecting a hardware QWERTY option (and not just an on-screen "thumb board") are certainly going to be disappointed. On the plus side, the new OS will support SIP-based VoIP solutions, with Nokia specifically mentioning that a version of the Gizmo Project client is forthcoming. IT2006 will become the default operating system on 770 units, and will be available as a free download to existing 770 users, beginning sometime this quarter.

We've known since February that Nokia was working on a QWERTY-sportin' followup to the 770 Internet tablet, and now the Wall Street Journal has confirmed that the included VoIP app will indeed be, as we anticipated, Google Talk. Unfortunately this means that the device will still be unable to call regular phone numbers out of the box, although G Talk members will at least be able to chat among themselves for free. The WSJ is also reporting (only to its subscribers, not to us) that sources close to Nokia have said that the new device will be officially unveiled on Tuesday, and sell for around $390 when it hits stores.