Google is expected to announce its long-awaited cell phone later today, creating some of the biggest news of the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show a day in advance of the show’s press day on Wednesday.

The new phone, reportedly called the Nexus One, will use the latest version of Google’s Android operating system, and the advance peek on the Engadget says the phone will be made by HTC and will run on T-Mobile’s network.

Also of high interest is an expected announcement Wednesday of a phone from LG that may be the first to use a mobile version of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system. The phone is also a candidate for the first to use faster fourth-generation (4G) technology. Its carrier, Sprint, is the leading 4G carrier, but has so far only provided access to its WiMax 4G network via laptops, whose beefier batteries are better equipped to handle the higher power demands of 4G.

Verizon might also unveil a 4G phone at CES, since they’ve promised one in 2010. But of greater interest is the possibility of a Verizon version of Apple’s iPhone.

AT&T’s exclusivity in offering the iPhone is rumored to be ending in mid- 2010, which may clear the way for a Verizon iPhone in time no later than Apple’s customary annual June refresh of the iPhone. Apple doesn’t participate in CES, and the Apple-centered Macworld show is not running more-or-less concurrently with CES this year. However, given Apple’s penchant for causing mischief at CES (remember its announcement, in San Francisco, of the first iPhone in the middle of CES 2007?) we wouldn’t be surprised if the company unveils the un-AT&T iPhone at the same as this years’ CES. 

Finally, Dell will be returning to the U.S. smart-phone market, delivering AT&T’s first Android-powered phone in 2010. Rumor is it’s a version of the Mini 3i smart phone the computer maker introduced in China last fall. First impressions of that phone, however, have not been favorable.

—Mike Gikas

Combing through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily, Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through the noise to bring you the tech news most important to consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.

US government launches Distraction.gov, wants to scare you straight (Engadget)

…The newly minted Distraction.gov is chockfull of scaremongering statistics, topped by a truly epic video…

Live Flight Tracking on Google Maps (Digital Inspiration)

Casper is a brilliant mashup that displays movement of incoming and outgoing flights on a Google Map live. It is currently only tracking flights that are flying in and out of the Amsterdam Airport but the mashup can be "configured for any airport."

Social Network Removes 5,000 Users For Putting On Weight During Holiday Season (TechCrunch)

…According to the company’s statement, most people that got banned for being ‘overweight’ came from the US (1,520), UK (832) and Canada (533).

Human Trials of Artificial Artery (BBC)

London's Royal Free Hospital used nanotechnology to develop the small bypass graft from a polymer material. The material enables the graft to mimic the natural pulsing of human blood vessels, which enables them to deliver nutrients to the body's tissues.

Isaac Newton: Who He Was, Why Google Apples Are Falling (National Geographic)

Today on the Google home page, an animated apple is falling, over and over, with a satisfying plunk—a 367th birthday tribute to Sir Isaac Newton. The English scientist was born especially tiny but grew into a massive intellect and still looms large, thanks to his findings on gravity, light, motion, mathematics, and more.

Solution to killer superbug found in Norway (AP)

…There is no sign of a dangerous and contagious staph infection that killed tens of thousands of patients in the most sophisticated hospitals of Europe, North America and Asia this year, soaring virtually unchecked. The reason: Norwegians stopped taking so many drugs.

Lighter side: 'Avatar' = 'Pocahontas' In Space (The Huffington Post)

Click through to see a picture comparing a treatment of Pocahontas with Avatar.

As the consumer electronics industry gears up this week for CES, its annual trade show, we fully expect 3D TV to be the biggest news coming out of the TV and Blu-ray areas. Most of the major companies, including LG Electronics, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony, have all promised to unveil 3D offerings at their press conferences over the next few days.

While we’ve seen 3D TVs before, there hasn't been content that can be played directly on a TV, a critical part of the experience. Most 3D programs have been computer-based, a disconnect for many would-be users. But Hollywood now seems to be on board, and we expect to hear several announcements about 3D-enabled Blu-ray players that will be available this spring, ready to play 3D titles when used with a 3D TV and glasses. DirecTV is expected to announce at least one 3D channel, which is being at least partially underwritten by one of the CE companies. There are also rumors that a major cable network will have a 3D announcement, perhaps for on-demand or pay-per-view 3D movie showings.

The big question mark is still pricing. We know that new 3D TVs will be more expensive than conventional sets, but have no clear idea of the premium these sets will command. We’ve also heard that new 3D-capable TVs and players will need new HDMI 1.4 connections, so we’re not sure how this will affect the ability of some legacy devices, such as video game systems or current 3D-ready TVs, to display these newer 3D images.

The good news is that we’ll have more answers in the next two or three days, when several major brands show their cards—fitting, given the Las Vegas location of CES each year.

—James K. Willcox