Nexus One Announcement Today?
Speculation is running high over whether Google will unveil its highly anticipated Nexus One smartphone today.
Although the pending announcement is creating excitement amongst gadget lovers around the world, Wall Street is taking a wait-and-see view on Google’s first effort to sell a hardware product directly to consumers.
Reuters reported that many of the details of the Nexus One — which Google has yet to confirm actually exists – have trickled out via various Internet blogs, media reports and analysts in recent weeks, including technical specifications and pricing. The phone has a large touchscreen, 4 gigabytes of flash memory and a 5 megapixel digital camera, as well as the latest, 2.1 version of the Android operating system, according to the reviews.
Technology blog Gizmodo.com last week said the Nexus One will be available for $180 with a two-year contract from Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA, or for $530 for consumers who prefer to buy the device without a carrier contract.
According to Reuters, Google may see the Nexus One as a way to exert more control over the design of Android smartphones, instead of being beholden to its partners for innovation.
But the move is not without risks. By selling its own device, Google may upset partners like Motorola, who currently sell phones based on Google’s Android software and would compete with Google, Reuters added.
