id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> It's difficult to tell when you're in the midst of a landmark moment in history.

Few guessed that in 2008 when Google debuted the G1, the first phone to run Android, the mobile software would transform the wireless world. It didn't help that when Google co-founders Larry Page and giày trượt patin cho bé gái Sergey Brin went up on stage, they were wearing roller blades.

Page and Brin are probably laughing their inline skates off these days. Nearly nine out of every 10 phones sold run on Android software.

On Tuesday, Google took its best shot at making history again. The company introduced the Pixel and Pixel XL, which represent the first time it will offer superphones in the same class -- complete with the full backing of Google, a lofty price tag and an exclusive partnership with Verizon Wireless -- as Apple's iPhone franchise. At long last, Google's phones give us a showdown between two of the world's most powerful tech titans.

Now playing: Watch this: Hands-on with Google's Pixel and Pixel XL phones 2:03 The devices, which will start at $649 for the Pixel and $769 for the Pixel XL (£599 and £719 in the UK), are the closest things we've ever seen to a true Google Phone. More than any other phone the company has put out in the past, the Pixels aim to capitalize on the search giant's brand power as one of the best-known corporate names in the world. This new line of phones is officially called "Pixel, a phone by Google," and each handset has the company's signature G emblazoned on the back.

"The company has the best vehicle available for continuing to deliver its software and services -- and now, products too," said Jefferson Wang, a senior partner at IBB Consulting.