Google could be preparing to launch its new mobile phone as early as next week, after the company called a press conference at its Californian headquarters.
Speculation has been rife that the company is planning its own branded phone, known as the Nexus One, as it tries to tempt customers and handset manufacturers into using itsAndroid mobile phone software.Earlier this month it confirmed that employees have been testing the device for some time, with reports suggesting that could be ready to launch early in 2010.
But in an announcement sent to journalists today, the company said it would hold a "press gathering" next Tuesday to showcase Android and demonstrate new products - giving the strongest indication yet that the Nexus One's release could be imminent.
"With the launch of the first Android-powered device just over a year ago, we've seen how a powerful, open platform can spur mobile product innovation - and this is just the beginning," it said.
While plenty of Android handsets have hit the market since Google first launched the software two years ago, the manner in which the Nexus One has come together signals a distinct shift in the company's strategy
In the past, Google has worked alongside partners such as Motorola - offering assistance and advice to mobile makers and networks, but not taking a leading role. This time, however, the phone is being manufactured by Taiwanese technology company HTC - with Google overseeing design and development.
Taking a stronger hand in the development of the Nexus One could help it to push its way into a market already crowded with more established rivals such as Apple's iPhone, the BlackBerry and Nokia.
It is not yet known which networks the Nexus One will be made available on, but there are suggestions that Google could sell the handset direct to customers through its website, and the Guardian has previously reported that the company has held talks with a number of operators -including T-Mobile and Vodafone in the UK - about linking up for the launch.
The event appears carefully timed to spoil announcements from its rivals, as it comes on the eve of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas - where the world's largest technology companies unveil their forthcoming products and plans.
In particular, the timing will prove an irritant to Google's greatest rival,Microsoft, whose chief executive Steve Ballmer is due to give the opening keynote at CES next Wednesday. With only a day between the two announcements, Google may be hoping to pile the pressure on the company it has targeted as its main competitor.
An early January announcement also gives Google several weeks of breathing room before Apple makes its own major product announcement - believed to be a tablet computer - later in the month.LINK
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