Google launches Android comparison site

When Google launched the Nexus One, they listed it at the easy-to-remember URL of google.com/phone. But then they stopped selling the Nexus One directly to consumers (though it's still available as the developer-phone). Nobody knew what Google's long-term plans for that URL were, but today we got an answer.

The company has just announced their new Phone Gallery page, where users can view and compare various Android phones from multiple carriers in 16 countries. The site only lists currently available phones, so even phones that are officially announced but not yet for sale are not listed.



In addition, the site only lists devices with Google services. So all of the phones listed on the gallery include the Market, Google Search, Gmail, Maps, etc. This means that devices like the Samsung Fascinate, despite being a high-end Android device, are not listed at all.

If you are in the market for an Android smartphone, the site is a great way to get a quick comparison and then find direct links to purchase information. [via Google Mobile Blog]

I think this is a great idea, even though it's all information I knew already. :-) It's some place I can point people to if they are considering Android. My biggest problem is that even out-dated devices are still listed. Devices like the Motorola i1, the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, etc. are listed on the gallery. Sure, these devices are still for sale, but they are running very outdated versions of Android and arguably shouldn't even be sold anymore. But even if the carrier chooses to continue selling them, I would hope Google wouldn't promote them in the gallery.

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I think this is a great idea. It's super helpful to have everything in one place, especially for those left-brain types like myself. And I love that they don't include all of Verizon's Bing fiascos. It's like Google's way of getting back at Verizon for mauling their platform.

And unlike Ryan, I don't have a problem with them listing old, out-of-date devices, because they are still being sold, and all their specs are listed right there for everyone to see. It's not like they're being promoted as something they're not. Good stuff all the way around.