Overnight news roundup: 5-6 November

Could a Google phone be in the works after all?

With news of Google's Android OS for mobile phones still hot off the press, there are now, of course, plenty of rumours about what it all means, particularly as no actual Google phone was announced yesterday.

During a question and answer session after the Android announcement, the company was asked if a Google phone may still happen or if the Open Handset Alliance makes this unlikely.

Switched off?

Instead of saying that it does not expect to release a Google phone in the future, Google's CEO Eric Schmidt indicated that his company "would not close the door" on producing a handset of its own at some point in the future. But he emphasised that Monday's announcement was about Android and nothing else.

Naturally, by not ruling out the possibility of a Google phone, hopes for a device have been rekindled. As you may remember, it was widely believed that Google was secretly working on a new mobile handset codenamed 'Switch'. The handset was expected to feature the kind of touchscreen that UK shoppers will come to know on the iPhone this Friday.

Two heads better than one

NEC announced a new bundle that will allow you to turn a single display system into a dual display in just a few short steps, on Monday. Dubbed the MultiSync LCD195VX+BK-DA, this bundle has everything you need to create a dual monitor setup in your home.

It includes two 19-inch NEC MultiSync monitors and a Matrox DualHead2Go Graphics eXpansion module to allow any computer to use two monitors. Each of the displays offers a 600:1 contrast ratio. Look for the bundle right now for $699 (£336).

Also on Monday, Apple finally released the much-anticipated update to its iTunes software. The new version of iTunes (7.5) is free from some of the bugs found in earlier versions. And it now supports a new interactive music game called Phase, which is designed exclusively for the iPod Nano and Classic.

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