'Google phone' set to be unveiled on Tuesday

At 6pm UK time, Google will hold a press conference on the subject of its Android mobile operating system. The company is almost certain to unveil the Nexus One, an HTC-made smartphone.

Details of the Android handset are still to be officially confirmed, but early hands-on reviews from publications such as Engadget show it to use version 2.1 — the 'Flan' edition — of the operating system, a five-megapixel camera with a flash, and a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset.

From initial reports, much of the difference between this and earlier iterations of HTC-made, Google-branded handsets such as the T-Mobile G1 lies in the polish — such as animated wallpapers — that has been applied to the user interface.

Google is also rumoured to be preparing to sell the Nexus One directly to the public, bypassing operators. This is still uncommon in the US, but more widespread here in Europe.

More soon.