Google Inc. has announced an Android related press conference for January 5, where the company is rumored to officially unveil its Google Phone.

The search engine giant sent out several Invitations to members of the media Tuesday promoting the event at Google's headquarters, to be held just as the annual CES gadget fest gets under way in Las Vegas.

In its invitation to reporters for the Android event, Google did not offer much details about what can be expected. “With the launch of the first Android-powered device just over a year ago, we’ve seen how a powerful, open platform can spur mobile product innovation. And this is just the beginning of what’s possible.”

Expectations are high that Google will officially release the Nexus One phone, which began surfacing earlier this month after Google handed out the slick, touch-screen devices to employees who then leaked them on Twitter. Click here and here to view photos of the Nexus One.

Google then released a cryptic blog post, where it said that the devices were intended to test new mobile technologies.

“We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe,” Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management wrote on Dec. 12.

In its invitation to reporters for the Android event, Google did not offer much details about what can be expected. “With the launch of the first Android-powered device just over a year ago, we’ve seen how a powerful, open platform can spur mobile product innovation. And this is just the beginning of what’s possible.”

In choosing the Jan. 5 date, Google announcement will likely kick off a crowded week for the technology industry and could perhaps overshadow any news that is expected to come out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later in the week.

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