Nexus One Google Phone Price and Plans Detail

A couple of the mysteries surrounding the forthcoming Nexus One/Google phone may have been solved. Information related to the price of the phone and its plan has leaked, and assuming the details are accurate, the device should line up pretty well with the existing marketplace.

Here's the bad news: rumors that Google would offer a cheap or free phone weren't confirmed. The standard monthly fee doesn't look like it will be trivial, either, meaning the Nexus One may not be as revolutionary as many people expected.

Instead, according to Jason Chen, consumers will be asked to pay $179.99 for the Nexus One if they lock into a two-year contract with T-Mobile for $79.99 per month. Or they can choose their own service provider, but they'll have to fork over $529.99 for an unlocked phone.

Still, these prices aren't so high that ordinary people wouldn't be able to get their hands on the Nexus One. Indeed, the T-Mobile prices should make the Nexus One competitive with the iPhone, so if the hardware measures up, Apple may find itself with a serious rival.

Hopefully we'll get firm numbers and a much more solid idea of the Nexus One's capabilities on Tuesday at the Android press gathering.

Nexus One Google Phone Ready to be Launched on Jan 5

The cat has at least started to come out of the bag with regards to the long-rumored "Google phone"; details about the Nexus One have been leaking for weeks. It looks like the rest of the figurative feline will soon appear, too, as a T-Mobile announcement and invitation to a Google event were issued today.

Let's start with the T-Mobile announcement - which, it's important to note, was an internal one. This morning, TmoNews published a document that in part read, "Google, with support from T-Mobile is scheduled to launch an Android device in early January. . . . T-Mobile will offer service support including billing, coverage, features and rate plans."

Then here's the clincher: Google's asking journalists to attend an Android press gathering on January 5th. This won't be a random meet-and-greet, either. It'll take place in Mountain View at the Googleplex, and a press conference, presentation, Q&A session, and demo session are supposed to last for a not-inconsiderable three hours.

One more interesting detail: January 5th falls two days before the start of the Consumer Electronics Show, so it looks like Google's planned its announcement for maximum impact.

Unfortunately, a lot of other details remain unknown. No one seems to have a clear idea of idea how much the Nexus One will cost, for example, or how rate plans will work or when the device will actually be available for purchase.

Still, one week from today, Google's likely to answer everybody's questions.

Exclusive: first Google Phone / Nexus One photos, Android 2.1 on-board

Well here you have it folks, honest-to-goodness pics of the Google Phone... AKA, the Nexus One. As you can see by the photos, the design of the device is largely similar to those we've seen, but the graphic on back is slightly different, and that piece of tape is covering a QR code (how very Google of them). Just like we've heard before, the updated OS features new 3D elements to the app tray, as well as an extended amount of homescreens, though it looks like the lock screen / mute is the same as in Android 2.0.1. Additionally, there's now a new grid icon at the bottom of the homescreen, which when pressed brings up a webOS card-style preview of all homescreen pages -- which raises some interesting possibilities. Apparently there's been a new software update for the device pushed tonight, and sure enough the phone is identified as the Nexus One on the system info page. Quite clearly this device is running on T-Mobile, and is also using WiFi, so there's two other questions you've got answers to. The phone also appears to come loaded up with Google Navigation (a bit of a no-brainer) and the brand-spanking-new Google Goggles. Hardware wise, the Nexus does look incredibly thin and sleek, and while there's not a slew of buttons (those four up front are clearly touch sensitive), there is a dedicated volume rocker along the side. Oh, and note this... no HTC logo anywhere to be found. We'll update the post as / if we get more info, but for now, feast your eyes on the gallery below!