Google phone to protect ad empire

By Maggie Shiels

Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

06/01/2010

Google has said it is defending its online advertising empire with the launch of its own brand (nouveau) mobile phone.

It is the first time Google has designed and sold its own consumer hardware device.

Google said the Nexus One represented the next frontier in the company's $20bn (£12.4bn) core (principal) business - selling advertising (publicité) through search.

"It's all about the mobile web, and advertising is their bread and butter," said analyst Michael Gartenberg.

"It's the latest salvo (éclat) from Google on the wireless industry. The landmark(repère) news here is that Google is now a consumer electronics retail company," added Mr Gartenberg, of Interpret.

Google, like many in the industry, recognises that more and more people are accessing the web via their mobile phones rather than through their desktop (ordinateur de bureau) or personal computers.

In the developing world (monde en voie de développement) , the majority of users are going online for the first time using a smartphone.

"The new paradigm(paradigm) is mobile computing and mobility," David B Yoffie, a professor at Harvard Business School, told the New York Times.

"That has the potential to change the economics of the internet business and to redistribute profits yet again."

Apple 'cool' fading (disparaitre) ?

Google has called the Nexus One a super phone, no doubt to set the device apart from the other players, including the BlackBerry and Apple's iPhone.

Despite its much anticipated arrival on the scene, many industry watchers do not think the Nexus One is an iPhone killer, though they do believe it will force Apple to step up its game ‘relever le jeu).

"Google is coming at the mobile industry with a lot of horses and I think 2010 is the first time Apple is going to have to chase (courir après) something," said technology blogger Robert Scoble of Scoblizer.com.

To date, the iPhone has sold about 30 million units and spawned (engendrer) countless imitators, including this new phone.

The technology blog TechCrunch said that the Nexus One looked more like the iPhone than any other phone on the market.

There is no physical keyboard, it has a removable battery, a 5 megapixel camera, touchscreen, and is driven by Google's Android operating system.

Google says the phone is as thin as a number 2 pencil, at 11.5mm, and as light as a Swiss army knife keychain at 130g.

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