Google Nexus One Heads to Verizon

Google's Nexus One phone is on its way to the No.1 telco to test the Apple iPhone anew.
Author:
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NEW YORK (

TheStreet

) --

HTC

and

Google

(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

cited by Digitimes

.

The news, if true, would fit with Verizon's plans to start carrying the touchscreen, Android-powered

Google-branded phone

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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