Called the Nexus One, Google will unveil the handset at its Silicon Valley headquarters in America tomorrow, and the device is set to go on sale there from January 12. A UK launch date has not yet been announced, but it is likely to follow early this year.
As increasing numbers of people are using their mobile phones to access the internet, Google has already launched its own mobile phone operating system, called Android, that works on a range of devices. However the Nexus One will be the first handset that the company has designed itself.
Like the iPhone, Android offers fully integrated web-browsing, music and video playing and a large library of applications that users can choose to install to add to their phone’s capabilities. One of the services likely to be available for the first time in America is European-based music service Spotify, which challenges Apple’s iTunes.
The Nexus One has been built by manufacturer HTC, and is rumoured toinclude a larger screen and better camera than those featured on the iPhone. It also offers free satnav capabilities, which are only available for an additional charge on the iPhone.
The handset is likely to cost consumers $179.99 (£111) on a contract with T-Mobile, but will also be available for $529.99 (£324) without any contract tying users to a specific network.
Google’s announcement is timed to challenge the dominance of the world’s largest technology fair, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which takes place this week, and to overshadow Apple’s launch of a tablet computer, which is expected on January 26.
The name Nexus One is a reference to the film Blade Runner, which is reported to have led to the estate of author Philip K Dick threatening to sue Google.
source-http://www.telegraph.co.uk
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=2885f769-b777-42ca-82b6-951c04036d40)
