Google scotches Android rumours

INTERNET SEARCH GIANT Google has blasted online speculation about its upcoming Android Gingerbread release.

Russian website Digestive claimed it had a wealth of details on the release and the rumour spread like wildfire.

Android tech lead Dan Morrill made short shift of the rumours in two tweets and linked specifically to Unwired, a site that had reported the details as fact.

The rumour said there is a definite release date in mid-October and minimum hardware requirements include a 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM. It said there will be 1024x760 resolution for 4-inch displays or larger, an updated user interface and Android will be split in two. It claimed that Android 3.0 will only be available for high-end hardware while mass market devices will get only Android 2.1 or 2.2.

"I love it when people just make stuff up and report it as news," tweeted Morrill.

"In summary, please remember that rumours are not official announcements," he added.

We reported at the start of June that Intel reckons it'll have the latest version on Android on its Moorestone smartphone. The timing means that will probably be Gingerbread, whether Google calls that Android 2.3 or 3.0. µ