With little more than a cite of “multiple sources”, VentureBeat has posted a piece that claims the T-Mobile G1, which will be officially unveiled next week in New York, will start shipping on October 13th and be available in stores on October 17th.

That’s a fair bit earlier than the “late October” rumors we’ve heard in the past.

VentureBeat also said the following:

The earlier Journal article cited one delay coming from Sprint’s planned phone. We’re now hearing from multiple sources that the Sprint Android phone will have “other functionality” than the Dream, and will definitely be out by 2009.

Its not quite clear if “by 2009″ means before 2009 or not. Earlier reports had the Sprint device being delayed until Q1 of 2009. While we have yet to hear anything even semi-official sounding about who would be making Sprint’s Android OS smartphone, we’d have to figure its HTC since the two companies have been so cozy over the past year and a half with their Windows Mobile products.