A series of new pictures released by a marketing executive has supposedly revealed the long-awaited Google Phone, apparently confirming rumours and leaks which have spread across the internet for months.
However, no release date has been confirmed for the device, which is being labelled by analysts as the first possible rival to the iPhone due to Google’s branding support.
The new photos, which were released on Twitter and quickly spread to industry blogs including TechCrunch and Engadget, reveal a smartphone similar in design to others released over the last year with a large touchscreen and four separate buttons at the bottom of the device.
Cory O’Brien, an account manager at a marketing agency in San Francisco, released the pictures on Twitter which were then picked up by industry blogs. He released no hardware specifications, but said “Google Phone = iPhone + a little extra screen and a scroll wheel”.
He also said the phone, which has been dubbed the “Nexus One” after a title contained in the hardware’s code, runs on the Google Android operating system.
It will also reportedly feature on OLED touchscreen with high-resolution, two microphones, a “large” camera, and a feature that allows users to dictate voice-to-text.
The Nexus One will also contain no keyboard, is thinner than the iPhone and according to O’Brien, is “really, really fast”.
But it seems O’Brien wasn’t the only one to get his hands on the device. A number of Google employees have made tweets about a new device handed out at a company meeting, with the company actually confirming it is now testing a new Android gadget with employees.
There have been a number of Android-powered phones already released, but some analysts suggest the Nexus One could be the first phone to challenge the iPhone’s smartphone dominance due to Google’s branding power.
Google is allowing the phone to be released as GSM-unlocked, meaning it can be purchased at a retailer and then combined with a SIM-card purchased from another telecommunications provider. Additionally, the company has been behind the entire software process, allowing it to control every single detail – a point which tech analysts suggest could be a game changer.
“There won’t be any negotiation or compromise over the phone’s design of features – Google is dictating every last piece of it. No splintering of the Android OS makes some applications unusable. Like the iPhone for Apple, this phone will be Google’s pure vision of what a phone should be,” TechCrunch reported.
No release date has been announced, but analysts suggest the phone could hit shelves as early as next month.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
