Rumours about introduction of Google’s own mobile phone have been floating around for several years. On Tuesday the company finally confirmed its intention to sell its own Google-centric mobile phone by announcing its Nexus One device. Even though the product is a mobile phone, it is clearly designed to consume services provided by Google. The novelty is based on 1GHz ARM processor and will offer rather high-performance for third-party applications.

"The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call ‘superphones’, with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset making it as powerful as your laptop computer of three to four years ago. It’s our way to raise the bar on what's possible when it comes to creating the best mobile experience for consumers," said Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering at Google.

Google Nexus One is more than just a mobile phone, it is indeed a Google-centric device that supports Gmail, Google Maps Navigation, Google Voice, Android Market, Picasa, YouTube and so on. Obviously, Nexus One can also make phone calls and write short messages, however, the device is primarily designed to promote Google’s own services and enable the most comfortable usage scenario. For example, instead of traditional joystick, Nexus One sports small trackball.

Nexus One is initially available from the Google web store in the U.S. without service for $529 or starting at $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile USA. In the near future, Verizon Wireless in the U.S. and Vodafone in Europe plan to offer services to customers in their respective geographies.

Google will initially take orders from consumers in the USA and three other markets – the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In the coming months Google plans on partnering with additional operators, offering consumers access to a broad set of service plans. In the future the firm expects to launch more phones with Android handset partners and to expand the web store to more countries.

Google Nexus One is produced by HTC Corp. and has the following hardware specifications:

• Display: 3.7" AMOLED 480x800 WVGA display;
• Processor/Speed: Qualcomm Snapdragon 3G QSD8250 chipset, delivering speeds up to 1GHz;
• Camera: 5MP auto focus with flash and geo tagging;
• Onboard memory: 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM
• Expandable memory: 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB);
• Noise Suppression: Dynamic noise suppression from Audience;
• Ports: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with four contacts for inline voice and remote control;
• Battery: Removable 1400mAh;
• Personalized laser engraving: Up to 50 characters on the back of the phone;
• Trackball: Tri-color notification LED, alerts when new emails, chats, text messages arrive;
• Thinness: 11.5mm;
• Weight: 130g.

Tags: Google, Nexus, HTC, Qualcomm, Snapdragon