Following years of rumors, Google finally revealed on January 5 the company's first own-brand mobile phone running on Android OS, dubbed the Nexus One, according to a press release by Google on January 5. The Nexus One manufactured by HTC features Qualcomm's 1GHz ARM processor, which allows this Android phone to provide greater performance in a wide variety of applications, according to the same source. Google stated that the company will initially take orders from consumers in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong who purchase the Nexus One from the Google's web store in the United States. The Nexus One is priced at US$529 without any service plan and at US$179 if sign up a two-year contract plan with US telecom operator T-Mobile, according to the same source.

 

Meanwhile, with an aim to diversify its product lines, China Telecom, following China Mobile and China Unicom, recently joined Google's Open Handset Alliance, in a bid to develop mobile phones based on Android platform at lower costs, the Sina News reported on January 6. China Telecom, however, was not immediately available for comment. Further details regarding the launch date of its Android-based mobile phones were not yet disclosed. As of January 5, 2010, the total number of alliance members reached 65.