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Google unveils Nexus One handset | Google unveils Nexus One handset |
(10 minutes later) | |
Google has unveiled an own-brand smartphone called the Nexus One. | |
The wraps were taken off the handset at an invitation-only event held at Google's Mountain View HQ. | |
The Nexus One is a slim, touchscreen phone built in partnership with Taiwanese manufacturer HTC and runs Google's Android operating system. | |
It will be sold through the Google's website and will be available on the Vodafone network in Europe and T-mobile and Verizon in the US. | |
Mario Queiroz, Google vice president for product management, described the unveiling as "the next stage in the evolution of Android". | Mario Queiroz, Google vice president for product management, described the unveiling as "the next stage in the evolution of Android". |
Mr Queiroz said there were now more than 20 Android phones available from 59 carriers in 48 nations. | |
The release of the Nexus One is seen as a move to ensure Google remains relevant as people search the web using mobile phones rather than typing queries into a PC. | The release of the Nexus One is seen as a move to ensure Google remains relevant as people search the web using mobile phones rather than typing queries into a PC. |
Google makes the lion's share of its revenue by selling adverts linked to those queries. | Google makes the lion's share of its revenue by selling adverts linked to those queries. |
At the briefing, Google said the Nexus was "a point of convergence where the web meets phone and is an example of what is possible on mobile through Android." | At the briefing, Google said the Nexus was "a point of convergence where the web meets phone and is an example of what is possible on mobile through Android." |
"You will see it pushes the limits of what is possible on a mobile phone today," said Peter Chou, HTC chief executive. | |
Google has set up its own phone portal through which people can get a handset tied to one of several mobile operators or untethered direct from the search firm. | |
Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said this could be its main selling point as it would mean owners could decide which network to sign up with. | |
"You buy the phone and then choose what sim card you want to put in," she said. | |
A spokesperson for Vodafone told BBC News that it was the first operator to "bring the Google phone to the UK" but stressed that it was a "non-exclusive agreement", meaning other networks could also offer the phone soon. | |
Figures from Gartner suggest that Android has about a 3.5% share of the global smartphone market. By comparison Nokia has a 39% share and Apple 17%. | |
It emerged on 5 January that Google sent out Nexus One phones to some industry figures in mid-December so they can try them out. Recipients were asked to keep quiet about their experiences until 5 January. | |
"The Google phone isn't much different than the iPhone," wrote VC Fred Wilson froM Union Square Ventures on his blog "It's basically an Android clone of the iPhone." | |
Google also announced on 5 January a plan to launch "pay to call" adverts that would appear on mobile phones. These would work in a similar way to the "pay to click" adverts that populate many websites and which form a significant chunk of Google's revenue. |