Google launches rival to iPhone

The phone was launched during a news conference at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California
12 April 2012

Internet giant Google has launched its own smartphone to help take on rival Apple.

The touchscreen device named Nexus One was unveiled at the group's base in Mountain View, California.

Billed as a point of convergence "where web meets phone", it uses Google's Android software and is meant to challenge Apple's hugely successful iPhone.

The pencil-thin Nexus handset incorporates applications including Google Maps Navigation and a weather widget to give users an immediate forecast for their precise location.

Phone users can also use voice recognition for text messages, emails, Facebook updates and Twitter, as well as search Google, call contacts or obtain driving directions by speaking into the phone.

Google said the new handset would be sold initially directly through its US web store.

Consumers can expect to pay 529 dollars (about £330 plus shipping costs) or 179 dollars for a two-year contract with T-Mobile USA.

The Nexus One handset has a 3.7-inch display screen and weighs 4.6oz, and features include a five megapixel auto-focus camera with flash. It will be available soon through the Vodafone network in Europe and Verizon Wireless in the US.

The product is being seen as a strategic move by the search engine powerhouse to tap into increasing direct web use by mobile phone consumers.

Andy Rubin, Google's vice-president of engineering, said: "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 phone experience for consumers."

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