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If Apple doesn’t steal the thunder from this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with rumors of a tablet computer, Google may pull a hefty share of the headlines away from the showroom floor with its highly anticipated Google phone. The company is set to hold a briefing about its smartphone plans on Tuesday as competitors show their new wares at CES at a different venue.<\/p>\n
\nAfter a weekend of leaked information about Google’s plans and its phone, dubbed Nexus One, analysts expect the search giant to offer much-wanted information about features, pricing, carrier and release date for the Android device manufactured by HTC.<\/p>\n
\nGoogle previously said the phone is designed for developers looking to build applications for the Android application store. But many analysts believe Nexus One will sell on contract through T-Mobile for somewhere around $179, or unlocked for about $530. Google was not immediately available for comment.<\/p>\n
What About the Droid?<\/p>\n
\n“A lot of information leaked over the weekend that makes the Google phone sound perhaps a little less interesting than it was,” said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. “It sounds like a phone that was designed by Google, built by HTC, and will be sold on contract through T-Mobile. That’s nothing particularly new.”<\/p>\n
\nThe twist, as Gartenberg sees it, is that Google may offer the device directly to consumers — unlocked. That, he said, would be interesting if Google subsidized the device, but all reports indicate that Google will sell the unlocked phone unsubsidized. As the rumors stand, Google’s pricing model is not shaking up the industry as some expected.<\/p>\n
\n“Certainly, Google is going to realize that selling unlocked phones in the U.S. is not a particularly easy task. All they have to do is ask Nokia,” Gartenberg said. “Maybe the story will be different tomorrow, but the news that leaked… <\/p>\n
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