The Nexus One Android Phone from Google

If you hadn't heard the rumors yet, the Nexus one is the latest Android phone to be released, and with much buildup prior to today's release date it appears to be very nice device.

This latest device running the Android operating system is quite a step up in terms of hardware and performance, but it also veers down a new path in terms of marketing and delivery. With the Nexus One, Google has taken the reins and will be delivering this phone exclusively, that is, it will not be sold by the carrier, only through Google.

Lets take a look at the specs first:

• 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• 800x480 WVGA AMOLED display
• Height 119mm x Width 59.8mm Weight 130 grams
• 5 megapixel camera with 2x zoom and LED Flash
• 512MB Flash / 512MB RAM / 4GB (expandable to 32GB) Micro SD Card.
• GPS / WiFi
• 3.5mm Headphone jack
• Removable 1400mAH battery
• Voice enabled Keyboard for any text field 

Comparing the specs on the Nexus One to the other Android phones on the market we can see that this is a big step up, even from the recently released Motorola Droid in terms of memory and processing power.

The Nexus One does not include a physical keyboard but Android 2.1 introduces a new voice enabled keyboard that will let you speak entries in to any text field.  There are also some improvements made to the virtual keyboard as well.

Another difference with the Nexus One is that Google has loaded this phone with the Android 2.1 software which includes many new features and advancements to include; animated wallpapers, more widgets, more panes, and no doubt many other changes under the hood.

By all accounts hardware and software wise this phones looks like a winner, but as always, pricing is going to be a big concern. There are a couple options available for getting your hands on a Nexus One from Google.

Currently the Nexus One from Google can be purchased in two ways:

1. Subsidized through T-Mobile - $179
2. Unlocked for use on ATT or T-Mobile - $530

New or existing T-Mobile customers that are eligible for an upgrade can purchase the Nexus One for a subsidized price of $179 with a contract extension of 2years. Additionally, if you opt for the subsidized option, you will have to move to a specific plan, once on this plan you can upgrade to a higher plan if desired. The base plan required for the Nexus one includes:

• 500 talk minutes
• Unlimited nights and weekends
• Unlimited T-Mobile to T-Mobile minutes
• Unlimited domestic messaging including SMS, MMS, IM
• Android Unlimited Web
• $79.99 per month

Customers that are not eligible or do not opt for the first option can purchase Google's latest addition to the line of Android devices for the unsubsidized prices of $529. The current version of the unlocked Nexus One will operate on either ATT or T-Mobile.

According to Google, future support will also be added for the Nexus One to run on the Verizon network. This may give the newly released Droid some competition on the carrier, however, exactly when this support will be added is still not know.

The Google Nexus One Android phone is currently available for order at: google.com/phone

To compare the differences between the iPhone and Android look here