This is on par with other smart phones, with the iPhone running $599 or $699 without an AT&T contract, depending on size.  However, it also means that that phone will be fairly prohibitively expensive, unless you are on T-Mobile.  Tech Crunch does a nice analysis.

Given the lack of press (a press conference has been announced for January 5th, my invite must have been lost in the mail) and hype, Google may just be testing the waters with this phone.  Very few phones are available unlocked, so its success could affect future phone launches.

Will you still buy one?

There is a video of someone using the N1, going through the different menus and applications.  Keep in mind, this is the French version of the Android 2.1:

Engadget has found specs of the N1, which is pretty incredible and confirms what we have been hearing.  I will direct you to the site rather than posting the images for fear of copyright issues.  Basically, it confirms that:

• It will be 3G on T-Mobile and EDGE on AT&T.
• It is slightly thinner than the iPhone (12.3 mm) at 11.5 mm
• A 5 megapixel camera with mechanical auto focus and LED flash

Finally, Jason Chen at Gizmodo got his hands on the N1.  Whoever let him play with it, kept him on a tight leash, so there aren’t any new pictures, but he did test it against the iPhone and the Droid.

Chen claims that the Nexus One is far superior to the Droid, however, the results aren’t quite as definitive when compared to the iPhone.  If you want an Android phone, definitely go with the N1 versus the Droid, but iPhone fans might need more to change their minds.

Based on all the new information, the Nexus One is definitely a “Droid Killer,” but perhaps not an “iPhone Killer” as previously assumed.  Watching the video, the N1 seemed remarkably similar to the iPhone.  The iPhone gained so much popularity because its technology was so revolutionary.  This is where Androids in general, but the N1 specifically, might fall short.

It seems that the N1 won’t be as revolutionary as the iPhone, though since the Andriod support is growing maybe  it could compete over time.

In recent years, Google has been escalating their experiments with the internet and testing the more traditional arenas.  They developed the Chrome internet browser and the Andriod mobile phone OS.  Since then, there has been talk of a Chrome OS and a Google made Android mobile phone, but maybe those are just techie fantasies.

Well, what was started as just Twitter chatter seems to be reality: Google is releasing an Android phone called Nexus One.

It seems that Google is testing out the phone on some of its employees before the rumored released date on January 5th.  One blogger has gotten her hands on the Nexus One.  See her post for the full story, but here are some highlights:

• It will be unlocked
  • 3G on T-Mobile
  • EDGE on AT&T
• Very thin and aesthetically pleasing
• Similar camera technology to the Droid
• Android 2.1 OS

The rumor is that it will be available for $99 (after $100 rebate) through the Google website.  Can you imagine?!?

This phone has the potential to blow all of the popular models out of the water.  However, it is strange that Google is releasing a phone to compete with its own technology.  The recently released Droid features a similar Android operating system (2.0 vs the new 2.1) as the new Nexus One.  I guess Google is assuming that the OS won’t be the deciding factor for purchase if it is found in enough devices — it will just become the norm.

There also hasn’t been much hype.  I learned about the phone about 10 days ago and it will be launched in just a few more weeks.  That doesn’t seem like a great marketing plan.  There haven’t been any official announcements either, just information leaked through the internet.   We will have to see what Google is going to do to combat harness that.  However, it wouldn’t be unlike Google to just roll a product out without much PR.

Frankly, if it is just $99, I will be willing to test it out (and if it doesn’t live up, return it within the appropriate window).  Can’t wait for January 5th.