Google's Nexus One smartphone to be unveiled tomorrow

Posted by Alisa Zykova on January 4, 2010 at 6:56 AM

Google's Nexus One smartphone will be revealed on Tuesday at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, the Times Online reported yesterday. The project may help boost the company's presence within the mobile sphere as well as offer direct competition to Apple's iPhone.

"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," the invitation AFP and others received stated.

Image: A leaked picture, according to Engadget

AFP reported the device was designed by Taiwan-based HTC, just as Google's T-Mobile G1. According to Gizmodo blog, consumers won't be forced to stick to one wireless carrier. It is rumoured to cost US$530 "unlocked" or without a particular provider and $180 with a two-year contract with T-Mobile, a division of Germany's Deutsche Telecom AG. BoyGeniusReport cited an anonymous source saying there might be a 3G-compatible version available through an agreement with U.S. telecommunications firm AT&T.

Nexus One will have games and a touchscreen, and users will also have the option of searching the Web through voice commands, according to Times Online. The Money Times mentioned the device's Internet access, which will be "similar to Skype," as well as its Android-powered operating system.

Enderle Group Analyst Rob Enderle questioned whether Google was testing to see if it can pull off "the Apple thing," i.e. the successful venture of Apple's iPhone since its launch in 2007. Times Online added that the Nexus One might be in competition with the newly launched phones that are operating with Microsoft's Windows Mobile 7 system.

Nexus One will be launched hours before the beginning of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.