Google now planning to sell its own ‘Nexus One’ smart phone

14 Dec 2009

Just days after revealing it dogfoods its technology on an exclusive Google smart phone made by a certain manufacturer, it has emerged that Google has entered into an alliance with HTC to build and sell its own smart phone and bypass other manufacturers.

Called the Nexus One, the devices will be manufactured under contract by HTC and sold directly by Google via the internet, even though manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola, LG, Sony Ericsson and others are making Android-based devices, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper said Google may be sounding a challenge to network carriers like Sprint and Verizon, as well as device maker Apple.

Consumer data access

The endgame, analysts say, is to gain access to valuable consumer data to sell ads at premium prices rather than simply making money from hardware sales.

As reported on Siliconrepublic.com yesterday, Mario Queiroz, vice-president in charge of product management at Google’s mobile devices group, confirmed that Google employees across the globe were working in a mobile lab, the basis of which is a smart phone made by a certain manufacturer that runs on the Android mobile operating system.

By John Kennedy

Photo: The HTC Hero Android-based smart phone now on the market.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com