Google unveils Nexus One mobile phone

GOOGLE HAS unveiled its new mobile phone, a device that is expected to put it in direct competition with Apple, at an event ahead of the annual Consumer Electronics Event in Las Vegas.

Speculation about the Nexus One has been rife in the past few weeks as leaked details and photographs of the device surfaced online.

The phone, which takes it name from the androids or replicants in the cult science fiction movie Bladerunner, is expected to provide a challenge to the iPhone’s dominance in the mobile market. It will run on Google’s Android operating system and will feature version 2.1 of the software.

Google is also planning to market its Android application store as part of its online marketing campaign, telling attendees that the hardware behind Nexus One is only part of the story.

While some are quick to size up the Nexus One’s potential as an “iPhone killer”, Google, however, is treading carefully, presenting the device as an option for consumers instead of a direct challenge to Apple.

It also brings in enhanced voice control, with a voice enabled keyboard for all text fields, including e-mails, twitter updates and facebook; and incorporates 3D framework into applications and multimedia content.

Google also used its press event to announce its own Google store for selling the Nexus One. Users are being offered the device with a service plan through one of Google’s partner networks, or SIM-free.

However, the device is not yet available to buy in Ireland, with devices initially only available to the US, UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Described as a “superphone”, the Nexus One is designed to be thin, light and powerful, with a Qualcomm snapdragon 1GHz processor at the heart of the device. It has 512Mb of RAM built in, and memory is expandible from 4Gb to 32Gb through the use of a secure digital memory card.

“The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call ‘superphones’, with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset making it as powerful as your laptop computer of three to four years ago. It’s our way to raise the bar on what’s possible when it comes to creating the best mobile experience for consumers,” said Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering.

Designed in partnership with HTC, the Nexus One has a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, stereo Bluetooth and two microphones, one of which is an active noise cancellation microphone. The device incorporates a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash and will also record Mpeg-4 video clips, uploading them directly to YouTube.

“The Nexus One represents the unique combination of design and innovation two companies like Google and HTC can have when they collaborate,” said HTC chief executive Peter Chou.