The Google Nexus One Phone: Is This the Phone Everyone's Waiting For?

It all started with a Saturday post on Google's Mobile Blog, where talk of testing "a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities" turned into talk of Google employees testing out the true "Google Phone" that so many have been waiting for.

According to various reports, the new cell phone from Google will be called the Nexus One, will run the new Android 2.1, and will be sold directly to the consumer "unlocked". This means the purchaser will have to sign up for phone service separately, but then again, that also means a wider selection of carriers to choose from. It is also believed it will go on sale sometime during the beginning of 2010.

What a Google-branded phone means for the burgeoning Smartphone market, is a hotly debated topic right now. Some say that with Google's vast resources and partner base it could be a major challenger to Apple's iPhone. Others believe this will be just another Android handset in a sea of Android handsets like the HTC My Touch and Verizon Droid.

While only time will tell, early pictures and descriptions of the device show a step forward in Android handset development, with a new, sleeker, form factor, and enhanced user interface due to the latest incarnation of Android. However, the cost of the phone could be problematic for sales, since unlocked phones aren't subsidized by carrier contracts, and usually cost north of $500. Nokia has gone the unlocked route with several of their higher-end smartphones like the N97, and has so far failed to sell many units in the American marketplace.