Google has just launched Google Phone Gallery, a webpage showcasing Android-powered devices "that deliver the best Google experience today." All the phones in the gallery include Android Market, Google Search, and other Google Mobile services such as Gmail, Maps, and YouTube. In other words, phones offering Bing or Yahoo options are not allowed in. A little unfortunate, if you ask us, because we'd love an official site featuring all Android devices.
The site lets you compare phones side by side. You can filter phones by country, manufacturer, and carrier. You can also view and match up technical specifications and features. Most importantly, you can see where each phone is available for sale.
While Google is very happy with the global adoption of Android and with the huge variety of devices that are coming to market around the world, the search giant is finally acknowledging that it's very difficult to pick a device that you both like and that is also available in your country, through your current carrier. As a result, this is the company's attempt to help both new and old Android users sift through the many great phones that are on the market.
The gallery is even more interesting if you take a closer look at the URL: it's the same as the one launched for purchasing the Nexus One. The online store didn't fare well, ending up as a niche channel for early adopters. Google said that customers simply prefer a hands-on experience when buying a phone, but the reality is the company gave up on its unlocked devices strategy and teamed up with wireless carriers.