Google Nexus One Heads to Verizon
NEW YORK (
) --
HTC
and
(GOOG) - Get Report
have started shipping the
Nexus One
phone, which is due to go on sale at
Verizon
(VZ) - Get Report
this spring, according to
Economic Daily News
, a Chinese business news outlet
.
The news, if true, would fit with Verizon's plans to start carrying the touchscreen, Android-powered
in the coming weeks. Google has said it will sell the phone online for $179 with a Verizon contract. Google is currently selling a
T-Mobile
version of the Nexus One online.
|
The
Nexus One is the first phone made to Google's specifications
that will be sold directly by Google. The phone features the
Qualcomm
(QCOM) - Get Report
Snapdragon chipset, a faster mobile processing chip than the ones found in the current crop of
Apple
(AAPL) - Get Report
iPhones and
Research In Motion
(RIMM)
BlackBerries.
Gadget fans are watching the Nexus One closely as it's considered one of the leading contenders among the Android-powered smartphones aimed at the iPhone. The Nexus One is slightly thinner than the iPhone, it has a bigger LED screen and a 5-megapixel camera (the iPhone features a 3-megapixel camera).
Google's Nexus One effort hasn't exactly strengthened relations with phone makers. The decision to push its own phone has been particularly troubling to
Motorola
(MOT)
, which rebuilt its phone strategy around the Android operating system.
Additionally,
Apple's patent infringement charges against HTC
may also further strain ties with Android partners. If Apple causes complications with the sale of Android-powered phones, outfits like
Motorola could shift to other mobile software suppliers
like
Microsoft
(MSFT) - Get Report
and its upcoming Windows Phone 7 system.
Google shares fell 3% to $562.75 in early trading Monday.
-- Written by Scott Moritz in New York.
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