tech wars
Posted by Stephanie Startz on December 15, 2009 03:57 PM
I bring you good tidings of joy: The Google phone is near.
The Internet whipped into a furry this weekend on news that the Google phone, dubbed the “Nexus One”, had been released into the wild. Twitter began to buzz Friday afternoon as various Googlers (employees of Google) tweeted about their gift of the unlocked smartphone.
Not yet available for sale to mere plebes, the HTC-manufactured smartphone is expected in stores in early 2010. The phone will be sold unlocked, meaning that the consumer can choose any GSM service provider. Translation: Verizon’s Droid can breathe easy, as GSM limits consumer choice to AT&T and T-Mobile.
Of course, selling the phone unlocked will result in a higher price tag than a phone subsidized by a wireless provider. Shoppers looking to save on the handset can relax as reports are circulating that Google is in negotiations with T-Mobile to sell the handset for a discount.
Handicappers predict the deal will sour Google’s relationship with Verizon, making the heavy investment in Droid promotion look silly. And Nexus One could rain on Motorola's planned Android parade throughout 2010. Analysts are skeptical of Google’s attempts to market software and hardware on separate mobile carriers and phones, questioning if Google’s profit margins can sustain such a business model.
So is the Nexus One a great phone? Most likely. But is the Nexus One a “phone killer?” No. The Nexus One’s supremacy remains limited. Without access to the number one network, Verizon, the iPhone-killing possibilities are thwarted.
More about: Google, Nexus One, Google phone, Droid, Verizon, Wireless provider, Wireless, Mobile phone, AT&T, iPhone, Apple, GSM, HTC, Motorola
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