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NEW YORK–Google appears to be preparing to market its own smartphone, a move that would intensify the company’s rivalry with Apple Inc., whose iPhone dominates the high-end smartphone market.

On Friday, Google distributed a new phone running its own Android operating software to many of its employees. On the messaging service Twitter, some Google employees described the device as a "Google phone," renewing speculation that the company is getting ready to release a mobile phone with its own brand.

Google employees who asked not to be identified confirmed recently that the company was indeed developing new hardware and software for Android phones and coming up with new ways to get those phones into the hands of consumers, but they would not give more details. One Google employee said the new phone was designed by Google No teletrak payday loan.

The Wall Street Journal reported on its website that Google would sell the phone directly to consumers rather than through carriers. The move, if confirmed, would signal a more aggressive effort by Google to become a force in mobile devices.

On Saturday Google acknowledged on a corporate blog that it was indeed distributing a new class of Android phones to employees to experiment with new features.

Mario Queiroz, a vice-president of product management, said, "This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it."

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