Google smartphone launch likely on Tuesday

The market is awash with expectations and rumours as Google prepares to unveil its own smartphone, the Nexus One, on Tuesday, as it seeks to leverage its powerful internet brand to compete with the likes of RIM's BlackBerry and Apple's iPhone.

The internet search and advertising giant has already gained a foothold in the market with its Android mobile operating system, featured in a number of phones starting with T-Mobile's G1 in October 2008 and more recently with the Droid from Motorola.
 
But the Nexus One, designed by Taiwanese handset maker HTC, represents a significant departure in that Google is expected to sell the Google-branded phone directly to consumers, who will not be tied to one telecom carrier.

Apple's popular iPhone, for example, is available exclusively in the United States through AT&T, but buyers of the `Google phone' will reportedly have their choice of wireless carriers.
 
The media has been invited to a press event on Tuesday at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, billed only as an "Android press gathering." Google has remained tight-lipped about what will be unveiled at the event, but the launch of the Nexus One is considered almost certain.

"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," the invitation said. "And this is just the beginning of what's possible."

The launch is only for the US market however; and there is no word about when the phone will be internationally available.

Technology blog Gizmodo, citing leaked documents, said the Nexus One will cost $530 dollars "unlocked" - meaning it isn't tied to a specific carrier - or $180 with a two-year service agreement with T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG.

Photos of the Nexus One have appeared online at gadget sites such as Gizmodo, Engadget and many others. The first look at the slim phone reveals that it is built by HTC, has a 9.3cm (3.7in) screen, five megapixel camera, and runs version 2.1 of the Android operating system.
 
Early reviews were not very encouraging, with Engadget declaring that it was "really not very different" from existing Android phones such as Motorola's Droid. It added that the phone shifted quickly between different applications, but lacked what might be thought of as standard features for comparable smartphones, such as a multi-touch screen.