Google plans smart-phone launch

THE internet search giant Google plans to sell its own mobile phone direct to consumers.

Called the Nexus One and made by smart-phone maker HTC, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, the phone will run on Google’s Android operating system – around which Motorola and other mobile phone makers have built devices. The Nexus One will be sold unlocked on a Google website for $530 (€367).

The internet search leader may be sounding a challenge to smart-phone makers like Apple. It marks a departure for the leader in web advertising, which has rarely sold devices directly to consumers.