14 DAY TRIAL // The so-called Google Phone, which we know will be going by the Nexus One moniker, has been making headlines lately with bits of information making their way to the press one way or the other. First billed as an internal experiment by Google, the company didn't really make a convincing case and the evidence kept piling up that it was heading to the consumer market soon enough. The final details and two almost 'official' confirmations poured in today, making the Nexus One pretty much a sure thing. Interestingly, the invitations Google sent out as well as the leaked screenshots of the phone's landing page, which isn't live yet, confirm Google's upcoming logo major redesign.
Shortly after Google handed out the phone to its employees, poor quality images of the device and the interface started popping up online. But it's only when the specs of the phone came out that things got really interesting. All the signs pointed that Nexus One would be the Android phone to own leaving the much-touted Motorola Droid in the dust.
Things quieted down after that, with the occasional video of the device and a perspective launch date. Now though, we're treated to a deluge of information, from T-Mobile, which will carry the device, from Google and also from a couple of 'leaks'.
We now know the launch date, January 5, though it's not exactly official. Google has sent out invitations to an Android event on that day, but it didn't spell out the fact that it would be related to Nexus One. Not that it needed to, anyway. We also know that T-Mobile will carry the device, though, again, the telco hasn't exactly said so, just that it will sell a phone in collaboration with Google. Leaked screenshots of the sales plan complete the picture and show that T-Mobile will sell a subsidized version for $179.99 with a contract, as well as a $530 unlocked one, also available from Google directly.
What all this means is that Google is genuinely getting into the hardware business, despite the actual phone being built by HTC. What this means for the manufacturers betting on Android remains to be seen, but in the end, it may be to olate to turn the tide and they'll probably have to come to terms with the fact that Google is now actively competing with them.
For Google, it means that it gets to control every aspect of the experience from the hardware, the phone software all the way up to the services used on the phone and even the actual conversations, courtesy of Google Voice. This type of control makes Apple and its iPhone look positively relaxed and Microsoft Windows' 'monopoly' seem like a refreshing breath of freedom.
No doubt, Google will provide a great product, maybe even one to finally rival the iPhone. Android is competitive mobile OS, not quite the equivalent of the iPhone OS, but close enough. And we already know that the company makes some great mobile services from the search engine, to mobile Gmail, to the recently launched Google Maps Navigation and these will benefit even more from the close integration with the hardware and the OS.
Finally, Google Voice is set to be a real revolution when it comes to mobile communications and it's certain that people will love it. All in all, Google is set to bring to the market a spectacular device catered to by a set of great services. But do we really want to have just one company control so much of the way we get informed, keep up with friends and make business plans? We'll have to wait and see how it all plays out, but one thing's for sure, Google is moving into more and more aspects of our lives, whether we like it or not.
