G-Day: Google unveils 'iPhone killer' Nexus One, which is faster and lighter than rival

By Claire Bates

The new Nexus One has 3D features such as moving wallpaper and harnesses Google creations such as Google Streetview, Latitude and Gmail

Google revealed its first mobile phone yesterday after months of frenzied speculation around its launch.

The Nexus One handset, which uses software designed by the internet giant will take on the dominant iPhone, which is used by 25million people worldwide.

Vice President of Product Management, Mario Queiroz launched the phone at a press conference in California this afternoon (evening UK time).

'It is the next step in Android evolution. It is where the web meets the phone,' he said.

The phone will be sold through a Google web store at google.com/phone. Users can buy an unlocked version in the U.S. from today for $529 (£331) or with a T Mobile contract for $179 (£112). It will be available in the UK through Vodaphone this spring, although no exact launch date was given.

The smart phone has similar dimensions to the iPhone and is 11mm deep and weighs 130g. The handset has been made by HTC in close cooperation with Google.

However, not only does the Nexus have a bigger screen (3.7" compared to the iPhone's 3.5") - it also has an OLED screen. This gives brighter colours and better contrast than the iPhone's LCD screen.

The Nexus should also take better pictures with a 5MP camera with LED flash, compared to the iPhone's 3MP camera.


The new Nexus One is available through Google's webstore
Nexus One has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, which means users will be able to use multiple apps without losing any speed. This is far more powerful than the 600 MHz processor on the iPhone 3GS.

It runs on Android 2.1 - the latest version of Google software. This offers Google Maps Navigation, which effectively acts as a car sat nav, multiple Gmail accounts and thousands of applications through the Android market.

Other features include a trackball that pulses one of three colours to indicate an incoming email, call or text message. There are two microphones on the Nexus, which Google says cancels out background noise allowing a clear voice call on a busy street.


The phone will also recognise when it is moved from outside to inside and will change screen brightness accordingly.

Google Product Manager Erick Tseng, said they were also eager to show how 3D could add to the phone user's experience.

'You really have a mini computer in your pocket,' the spokesman said.

'So we wanted to show just how far 3D has come. We have live wallpapers that have a ripple effect, desktop icons with added depth and a new gallery application where you can tip photos away from you to get a better view.'

Another new application uses voice recognition, so phone users can talk into the phone and the Nexus will type out their speech.

This can then be emailed or texted to others. Google said the app would be 'trained' the more it was used.

The iPhone doesn't have this function built in, but there are a number of applications in the App store that will turn your voice into text.

No one at Google would be drawn on whether the Nexus One was an 'iPhone killer'.

'It's a "super phone",


Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, holds the Google Nexus One phone running the Android 2.1 platform


Until now, details of the Google-branded touchscreen device - manufactured by Taiwanese company HTC - have been kept under wraps.

Then yesterday Google posted a support page for the mobile a day too early before pulling it. It is impossible to know whether this was a genuine mistake or a deliberate teaser.

The Nexus One is named after a type of ‘replicant’ cyborg in Ridley Scott’s science-fiction film Blade Runner. It has a sci-fi looking two-dimensional bar code capable of identifying each individual handset on the back.


Google's phone is a big step for the search giant that, until now, has offered phones only in partnership with other companies.

It set its sights on developing its own so-called ‘smartphone’ because they are a becoming an increasingly important way of accessing the internet.

As more people go online using their mobile phones, the firm aims to deliver more ads to them.

The search engine giant hopes to take on Apple’s iconic iPhone, which has become, since its launch in 2007, the benchmark in the rapidly growing market.

Google revealed its open-source Android operating system nearly two years ago.

Until now, the company has been content to let other companies such as Samsung and Motorola design devices relying on Android.

And those devices thus far have largely been distributed like most other mobile phones, tethered to major wireless carriers which typically require buyers to lock in to contracts in return for discounts on the handsets.

But Google now appears to be ready to push its operating system in a new direction while trying to give consumers more flexibility to connect a mobile phone with the wireless carrier of their choice.


Google co-founders: Sergey Brin (left) and Larry Page will present the phone today at their California HQ


The Google briefing is likely to overshadow the opening tomorrow of the world's biggest gadgets show, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Later this month Apple is expected to launch a tablet-style computer, possibly called the iSlate.

Technology experts believe the next three years will provide the key battleground as to who will dominate the handheld gadget market.

As a result of innovations such as the iPhone, fewer devices are needed to perform an array of functions such as listening to music, watching TV, playing games and talking on the phone.




source: dailymail