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Google Nexus One

The Mountain View, Calif.-based search giant said the new handset runs on the carrier's tri-band 3G bands, in addition to quad-band GSM frequencies. It features the same 3.7-inch touch screen with vibration feedback, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5.0-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash and runs the latest version of Google's Android operating system with the Internet giant's services such as Gmail, Maps and Search.

Since releasing a version of the Nexus One for T-Mobile in January, Google has sold a less than stellar 135,000 units in the first 74 days on the market. By comparison, Apple sold one million original iPhones and Motorola shipped one million Droid phones during the same timeframe.

But the Nexus One, unlike the iPhone or Droid, has only been available on Google's Web site and not sold in retail stores. The company has also foregone high-profile television ads that both rivals had used.

The decision, in part, is due to Google's broader strategy has been to grow its base of devices from handset makers that use its Android software.

AT&T, expecting an end to its iPhone exclusivity, has been hedging its bets by adding smartphones powered by Google's Android and Palm's WebOS software. However, the carrier's involvement in the Nexus One appears to be minimal, as the device is only sold through Google's Web site at its full price of $530 -- far more expensive than the $180 consumers would pay for a Nexus One subsidized by T-Mobile or the $100 starting price of an iPhone subsidized by AT&T, both of which require signing a two-year contract.

"We'll accept a compatible device on our network," said Fletcher Cook, an AT&T spokesman.

For now, the handset only works with AT&T and T-Mobile networks, but the company said it plans to sell a version of the smartphone for Sprint in the coming days and Verizon this spring.

Google's move into hardware has put it on a collision course with Apple. Earlier this month, Apple sued Taiwan-based HTC, maker of the Nexus One, accusing it of infringing on 20 of its patents related to the iPhone, but analysts say that the lawsuit could be a proxy fight between the two Silicon Valley titans.