04 January 2010

Is Google's Nexus One on the brink of release?

Google has raised eyebrows and set tongues wagging by calling journalists to attend an 'Android press gathering' tomorrow in California - a sign the web titan may be launching its much talked-about Nexus One phone.

The event is set to take place Tuesday 5 January at 10am in California, or 1800 GMT, and is exclusive to US journalists, according to a Brand Republic report. There have been no plans announced for a UK-equivalent event as of now.

The Mountain View giant has remained decidedly tight-lipped about its venture, with the handset rumoured to go up against the iPhone, Motorola Droid and other leading smartphones. But while official announcements have been scant, leaked or unofficial accounts have cropped up on various technology blogs.

Gizmodo reports, from an anonymous contact, that Google will be selling the handset on its own, and that an unlocked version of the phone will be made available for US$530 (£330), and that there is language in the purchasing agreement that is suggestive of shipping outside the US.

The phone's sole subsidised contract provider will be T-Mobile in the US, bringing the hardware cost down to US$180 (£110), but the handset will be only available at a two-year agreement of US$80 (£50) per month, the contact further claimed.

Additionally, tmonews.com, an unofficial T-Mobile blog, has released a screenshot of the company's Streamline support site, claiming it confirms T-Mobile's participation by outlining it will support "billing, coverage, features and rate plans", but that "support for this device... will be managed by Google and HTC."

HTC, a Taiwanese company whose products already carry the Google Android mobile software, will manufacture the phone.

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