Google unveils its first mobile phone

SAN FRANCISCO - Internet search giant Google unveiled its first mobile phone on Tuesday as it increased the pressure on Apple’s iPhone in a mobile market that many analysts predict will come to dominate the internet in the coming years.

Google previously released its Android operating system for phones, which has been adopted by manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola and HTC.

But the Nexus One announced Tuesday is the first device to be branded by Google and sold directly to customers.

“Nexus One is where Web meets phone,” said Google’s Mario Queiroz. Google said the eagerly anticipated phone will run the newest version of its Android OS and feature a 9.4-centimetre touch screen.

Developed in conjunction with HTC, the phone featured a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera, is 11.5-mm thick and weighs 130 grams.

Google said it would sell the phone from its website for $530 and will ship the phones to the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong. Customers can also buy a subsidized device together with two-year service plans for $180, from the top US carrier Verizon, as well as fourth-placed carrier T Mobile.