Nexus One ‘Googlephone’ launched on eve of tech fair

Google is expected to release the Nexus One, its long-awaited competitor to Apple's iPhone, on Tuesday during a press conference at the search giant's California HQ.

Leaked photos and videos, such as the one above, have fuelled hopes that the newest 'Googlephone', which will almost certainly be manufactured by HTC, will prove a worthy rival to the iPhone in both looks and usability.

This is by no means a given. In 2008, HTC's G1 was dubbed both a 'Googlephone' and an 'iPhone killer' only to be rejected by serious technophiles for its poor build quality, slow user interface and bulky dimensions.

Early indications are that the Nexus One, running Google's Android 2.1 mobile operating system (OS), is a smoother experience all round – and looks sleeker, too. It appears to be thinner than the iPhone and has a camera with flash. It also runs 'Google Goggles', a new application that promises to generate searches from photographs taken on your phone's camera. But perhaps the most exciting development is the fact, reported by Gizmodo, that Google will be selling the Nexus One direct to customers.

According to leaked screenshots, US customers can buy an unlocked 'Googlephone' for $530; they will have to fork out for mobile phone coverage on top of that. Alternatively, they can purchase a Nexus One with a two year T-Mobile contract for $180 upfront and then $80 per month after that. There is no word as yet on the timing of a UK release, but the G1 was released here within days of its US release in 2008.

The fact that Google is selling the Nexus One unlocked, which means customers of any mobile phone network can use one, suggests that the launch of the latest 'Googlephone' has as much to do with winning the war of mobile phone operating systems as overhauling the iPhone – or even the BlackBerry – in the smartphone market.

Google has pretty much sewn up the home internet search market with almost 80 per cent of queries going through its search engine. However, it is a different story in the infant mobile internet market, which is a much more level playing field.

The search giant clearly hopes that a desirable smartphone running on its Android OS will increase its share of the mobile OS market – and by extension the search market - from its current paltry four per cent. In comparison, Apple's share of the OS market, driven by its popular iPhone, is 17.1 per cent, while the business-friendly BlackBerry enjoys 21 per cent.

Google's press conference is timed to gain maximum exposure, coming just two days before Thursday's opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the world's top technology companies will be gathered to release their newest products.

With Apple believed to be planning to launch a new tablet-style Mac computer in April, 2010 is already shaping up to be a huge year for mobile computing. ·