HTC Nexus One is Google’s official Android developer phone
The mobile phone customer and manufacturer community is excited that Google’s Nexus One will now move to four separate networks. The Nexus will now be on every major network in the US and the unlocked nature of that phone means that the owner of this phone can freely choose any of them or buy the phone directly through a particular network and save big. of money.
Since the inception of the Nexus One, US telcos have been trying to lock down this unlocked phone in a way that would convince their customer base to pick them up. Few mobile devices have successfully crossed the carrier availability threshold for use on the four largest wireless carrier networks in the United States. The Windows Mobile operating system used by the HTC Touch Pro2 immediately springs to mind, but few others are so easily remembered. This is because it is notoriously difficult to convince all four carriers to carry the same mobile device. They are so hell-bent on being unique and different in the eyes of their customer base that they cannot allow much compatibility between carriers.
Early in the discussions, Google announced that the first iteration of its Nexus One launch would be for T-Mobile’s AWS 3G network in the United States. In addition, they announced that this release would be followed by the release of a CDMA/EVDO variant for Verizon Wireless. However, Google was not satisfied with this level of market exposure and opted to discuss things with AT&T as well and now that long-standing company has shown a desire to enter the Nexus One operator circle. There have been rumors and quoted statements of people claiming there is a 3G compatible version at the FCC that will work with “Ma Bell”. Finally, it appears that Sprint’s continued desire to outperform the competition in innovation won’t be entirely out of the ordinary. They want the Nexus One to work on their network too. This shouldn’t be a particularly difficult upgrade as they use a CDMA/EVDO network system with a strong similarity to Verizon Wireless.
The part of this market disclosure campaign that Google seems to be experiencing and that many people seem to enjoy the most is that it gives them five separate options. They can but the Nexus is unlocked. They can buy it through T-Mobile’s $179 contract. However, rumors abound that you could even go to your local Walmart superstore and pick up a version of the Nexus One that works with any of the other three networks listed for as little as $99. Some of those same rumor mongers also tout the possibility of a $99 T-mobile contract. This is certainly too much to hope for considering the incredible price drop from the unlocked version to the well-known T-Mobile contract alone. However, these rumors started on January 26, 2010, so they have spread like wildfire in the online mobile phone community.
