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[kaching]

You might have to get an invite to get the phone...better start Twittering for one :lol

I've got Google Voice and Wave invites I can trade for it!!!

 

[Woodsy]

So wait, this thing is gonna be contract free? Any rumored pricing?

Nothing yet - I'm guessing they can't go above $199 though since it will essentially be subsidized by Google advertising. I love my iPhone, but I'm damn intrigued to see what this has to offer.

 

[tokkun]

Nothing yet - I'm guessing they can't go above $199 though since it will essentially be subsidized by Google advertising. I love my iPhone, but I'm damn intrigued to see what this has to offer.

That phone would probably cost $199 on Verizon, and I doubt that whatever Google is making on advertising subsidy is anywhere close to what Verizon makes on those $90/month contracts.

The previous two Google Phones both sold for $399, so that's what I'd bet on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Dev_Phone

 

[DrFunk]

$399 is a steal for an unlocked high-end cell phone

 

[SimleuqiR]

$399 is a steal for an unlocked high-end cell phone

Plus you will probably not have to worry about getting the latest Android update ASAP. I hate the fact that there are many Android Phones out, there capable of running 2.0, but don't have the update yet due to the middle men (Carriers).

 

[Odinson]

I would love to grab this in Jan. without having to re-sign a contract. I will miss the keyboard on my G1 but I'm willing to make that trade for what this offers. Hopefully we get official statements and pricing from google soon.

 

[BlueMagic]

Wait, it's going to be available only unlocked, right? Didn't someone say so, a few days ago? Or was it only a rumor?

EDIT: Oh, nothing confirmed.

 

[kaching]

The previous two Google Phones both sold for $399, so that's what I'd bet on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Dev_Phone

Those were meant for devs only though, so they were intended as limited runs. Assuming there's not much onboard storage with these, like other Android phones, I'd kinda hope for $299 or less.

 

[mckmas8808]

Unless it's being handled by a giant, it looks a bit small. We need some specifications. I was hoping for a 4in screen, so I could reasonably justify abandoning my "Qwerty keyboard is a must" requirement.

Qwerty keyboard will always be a must for me. Give me one HTC.

 

[BlueMagic]

Qwerty keyboard will always be a must for me. Give me one HTC.

Yeah, this is a shame. Though if it's available unlocked and for a good price, I'm totally buying this.

 

[Totakeke]

The infamous Eldar Murtazin from mobile-review.com claims that some rival company (Apple he says) is trying to stir the pot by using the whole confusion around this potential new business model.

Some rival company used misunderstanding to lauch rumour about Gphone and new business model from Google (which arent true).

Interesting?

 

[Battersea Power Station]

Interesting?

No.

What business model and what rumors?

 

[Totakeke]

Sold unlocked? Rejected by Verizon and sold on T-Mobile? Everything else surrounding the phone but the phone itself.

The only concrete thing is that we have images of the phone running Android 2.1, the 3G bands verified by FCC, and what else? Note that he's the guy Engadget themselves call the ultimate insider on all things mobile and not some random guy on the internet.

 

[kaching]

But selling unlocked phones isn't a new business model...I haven't seen any rumors thus far that would really qualify as new business model.

 

[Totakeke]

How about that the phone will be sold at retail and not just another developer phone? That's new for Google themselves at least. But who really knows what he's referring to.

 

[pxleyes]

Loving the new animated background. Should bring some great possibilities to the forefront.

 

[Husker86]

Those were meant for devs only though, so they were intended as limited runs. Assuming there's not much onboard storage with these, like other Android phones, I'd kinda hope for $299 or less.

I don't understand how it's expected that a top of the line phone is going to be sold for $299 outright. If anything, taking the limited run of the $399 dev phone, I would say that price was lower because of what it was, not higher. I'd be as excited as anyone for a nice unlocked phone to be sold at $299, but looking at lower end smartphones going for $349+ (Treo Pro when it came out), I just don't think anyone should get their hopes up.

I mean come on, that's the subsidized price for the Touch Pro 2 on Sprint :lol (yeah it's way too high, but it is what it is).

 

[Pctx]

beautiful!

 

[Paznos]

Why in the world would Verzion turn them down? sigh, unless they have a similar phone coming out soon .... I hope. So T-mobile is getting this phone AND the HD2? when I last had them with the sidekick II 4 years ago I had no signal at all at my house.

 

[kaching]

Husker, I understand what you're saying, my hope is based on the fact that Google has a tendency to lowball the pricing when they bring a competing offering into an existing market. In most cases their pricing is free, but I'm not willing to bet they're willing to go that far on actual hardware (since all the other markets they've lowballed have been software up to this point).

 

[Pctx]

Sounds like the chatter thus far is that this is getting exclusive T-mobile launch next month and may get other carriers sometime next year.

With T-mobile rolling out their 7.2Mbps here shortly and HSPA+, looks like a perfect combo.

Also--- Looking back at T-mobile's 'Project Dark' this past fall--- moving towards pay per month phones.... It seems like Google and T-mobile were laying the ground work for this phone come Jan.

Glad I won't be having to switch carriers and be getting an unlocked phone from the outset.

 

[tokkun]

Those were meant for devs only though, so they were intended as limited runs. Assuming there's not much onboard storage with these, like other Android phones, I'd kinda hope for $299 or less.

The Google-branded versions may have been limited-run, but both phones were also sold to the mass market (HTC Dream & Magic) at similar prices without contract, and this phone has much higher-end specs than either of those did relative to their release dates.

If Google really wanted to offer the phone at a low price, I don't see why they wouldn't go with the standard carrier-subsidy model. Look at it this way: if Google could make a profit by selling to consumers at a price of $200-300, then it could sell to a carrier at the same price. If they sold a phone to Verizon at $300 or T-Mobile at $200, it would probably be sold as free on contract. The cost to Google would be the same, but sales would be much higher.

 

[pxleyes]

Sounds like the chatter thus far is that this is getting exclusive T-mobile launch next month and may get other carriers sometime next year.

With T-mobile rolling out their 7.2Mbps here shortly and HSPA+, looks like a perfect combo.

Also--- Looking back at T-mobile's 'Project Dark' this past fall--- moving towards pay per month phones.... It seems like Google and T-mobile were laying the ground work for this phone come Jan.

Glad I won't be having to switch carriers and be getting an unlocked phone from the outset.

HELL YES

 

[SimleuqiR]

Sounds like the chatter thus far is that this is getting exclusive T-mobile launch next month and may get other carriers sometime next year.

With T-mobile rolling out their 7.2Mbps here shortly and HSPA+, looks like a perfect combo.

Also--- Looking back at T-mobile's 'Project Dark' this past fall--- moving towards pay per month phones.... It seems like Google and T-mobile were laying the ground work for this phone come Jan.

Glad I won't be having to switch carriers and be getting an unlocked phone from the outset.

I just don't want to hear chatter, if this phone is release on the network, about how T-mobile users use way too much data and should be charge more for it (cough *AT&T cough).

 

[kaching]

The Google-branded versions may have been limited-run, but both phones were also sold to the mass market (HTC Dream & Magic) at similar prices without contract, and this phone has much higher-end specs than either of those did relative to their release dates.

Granted, but Google wasn't actively getting involved in hardware pricing in the consumer market for those. Based on the rumors thus far, that seems to be the imminent change with this new phone.

If Google really wanted to offer the phone at a low price, I don't see why they wouldn't go with the standard carrier-subsidy model. Look at it this way: if Google could make a profit by selling to consumers at a price of $200-300, then it could sell to a carrier at the same price. If they sold a phone to Verizon at $300 or T-Mobile at $200, it would probably be sold as free on contract. The cost to Google would be the same, but sales would be much higher.

Likely, the carriers would want some kind of exclusivity agreement with a high-end model like this, maybe Google isn't interested it, thus the possibility they will subsidize on their own. There's also been indication that it's both - Google will sell it unlocked directly and their will also be a further subsidized contract for the phone if bought through a specific carrier.

If they partially subsidize they're own direct sales of the phone, I would assume it would be on back of offering their own integrated services via Google Voice and such.

 

[tokkun]

Official unveiling tomorrow...?

http://twitter.com/Floris/status/6664338491

Does it break my NDA is I say the Google Phone code name Nexus One aka 'Passion' is going to be properly introduced on google blog tomorrow?

 

[SimleuqiR]

Official unveiling tomorrow...?

Does it break my NDA is I say the Google Phone code name Nexus One aka 'Passion' is going to be properly introduced on google blog tomorrow?

http://twitter.com/Floris/status/6664338491

[Don Draper voice] I have no contract. [/Don Draper voice]

 

[DrFunk]

HOT

 

[Pimpwerx]

It better come to Sprint, that's all I know. The Hero sold well, this will sell better. Looks nice and sounds amazing. I need this phone in my life like yesterday. PEACE.

 

[Jamesfrom818]

If I can buy the Google phone without a contract for Sprint, I will be dumping my HTC Touch Pro so fast.

 

[Bboy AJ]

I cannot wait. TMo's Project Dark was a great idea. Good on them and good on Google for changing the game.

 

[Ephemeris]

Very exciting, hopefully this will be my Android entry point. Hope the price is nice.

 

[Vyse The Legend]

Official unveiling tomorrow...?

http://twitter.com/Floris/status/6664338491

Who is this guy? It appears he's just some photographer that's stoking the GPhone fires.

 

[SimleuqiR]

Either she has man-hands or that is one tiny phone :lol

That is one bright screen.

 

[Vyse The Legend]

Either she has man-hands or that is one tiny phone :lol

That is one bright screen.

Definitely man-hands.

 

[Ephemeris]

Either she has man-hands or that is one tiny phone :lol

That is one bright screen.

Give it to me. o_o

 

[tokkun]

Who is this guy? It appears he's just some photographer that's stoking the GPhone fires.

Yeah, I'm not sure if he's credible or not, which is why I put a question mark on it. Someone else posted a link to it on XDA.

 

[SimleuqiR]

Let us keep the Nexus One day rolling. First we heard a rumor the Google Phone was coming to T-Mobile. Then Google confirmed they had handed out a new Android phone to their employees. Next it was reported that the Nexus One slipped through the FCC with T-Mobile 3G bands. After that an anonymous tipster told us the device would be subsidized for $199.

Now, we have ABC News and Reuters reporting that Google will offer the Nexus One for a reduced price for those who agree to a T-Mobile contract. This would explain the rumored $199 price, but it doesn’t exactly explain who will pay for the subsidy.

The report goes on to say that Google will offer the device directly from their website as early as January 5, 2009. We have heard multiple reports that the Google Phone would land in early January so the date sounds plausible.

T-Mobile recently began offering no-contract plans they are calling Even More Plus. It will be interesting to see how much the Nexus One will cost at full retail price. This may be the source for the conflicting reports that the Google Phone would be both subsidized and un-subsidized.

What do you guys think? This is a pretty awesome phone for T-Mobile to promote their new HSPA 7.2 network.

Look for more live updates throughout the day. This story is getting interesting.

I'm being overloaded with Nexus info!

 

[NomarTyme]

I'm being overloaded with Nexus info!

T-Mobile? OMFG. GTFO!

 

[BlueMagic]

Please, let them sell it directly. The only Android device that got to Argentina is the Milestone (Droid), which arrived just a few days ago with a fucked up contract and limited stock, for now.

If Google sells it directly this phone is mine.

 

[Jugendstil]

Will switch back to T-Mo immediately as long as the phone turns out to be as nice as it sounds. See ya, AT&T.

 

[Pctx]

I'm being overloaded with Nexus info!

All but confirmed at this point. With the official unveiling of it tomorrow.... this is a huge win for Android fans.

 

[Ephemeris]

Subsidized at $199, so it would be at least $400 without contract?

 

[SimleuqiR]

Please, let them sell it directly. The only Android device that got to Argentina is the Milestone (Droid), which arrived just a few days ago with a fucked up contract and limited stock, for now.

If Google sells it directly this phone is mine.

This was posted before the ABC news info:

Someone will probably flame me for posting this rumor, but it is just too good to pass up. I have been pinging all my contacts and seeing what they have to say about the upcoming Nexus One phone. The device is a relative lock for T-Mobile and I was told documentation already exists that contains the launch date and retail price.

I’m not so concerned with the exact launch date because those kind of things normally get adjusted. What had me the most curious was the actual retail price. If this phone is going to have a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, we know it will be expensive (just look at the Xperia X10).

There was also the possibility that Google might subsidize the device in order to bring it to as many people as possible.

This leads me to the following tip that came from an anonymous source. Read it and make what you will of it.

1.) It’s going to be $199, subsidized by Google. That is pretty game changing from a cell phone sales perspective. Sounds like Google is going to make a big push to get a good Android handset into as many people’s hands as possible.

2.) They are apparently working on some new 3D UI elements for Android.

3.) GSM at first, CDMA version will follow.Anonymous tipster

It might sound shocking at first, but when you think about it for awhile it becomes more believable.

Verizon Wireless recently launched the Motorola Droid at a subsidized price of $199 in addition to spending $100 million on a marketing campaign. They sold the device at a loss because they know they will recoup their investment on the 2 year contracts and data plans.

Google might also be willing to sell the Nexus One at a loss in order to entrap entice customers. The phone will require a Google account, so Google will be virtually buying new mobile users. And with all the new mobile services that Google offers (including new advertising schemes), you can bet they could easily monetize the device enough to do this.

Does it all sound a bit crazy? I can’t wait for more official information. Look for the T-Mobile docs to leak over the coming weeks.

The name brings back some good old memories:

 

[Vanillalite]

Did we ever get any new info on how this would work on AT&T. I know everyone was saying it would work on T-Mobile's existing network, but people were saying it might work on AT&T but then again it might not... or at least it would work except for 3G?

Update on this if there is one anybody?

 

[Pimpwerx]

Will switch back to T-Mo immediately as long as the phone turns out to be as nice as it sounds. See ya, AT&T.

T-Mo has the worst coverage of all the carriers. Be very prepared for disappointment, as you might not get much use of that 3G due to coverage. I love TMo's customer service and rates, but their coverage is shit. I went from AT&T to T-Mo and ended up switching a month and a half later to Sprint (who has equally awesome rates, some of the best coverage, but questionable service). The only good thing about their coverage being so bad is that it was easy for me to cancel without early-termination fees. I just told them I was moving to some place in South Dakota, printed a fake proof of employment letter and they let me off the hook. Make sure T-Mo has the coverage where you're at, or you might be stuck with a 2yr contract for fast 3G you can never receive. PEACE.

 

[Pctx]

^ Probably not the best idea to detail fraud on an online forum.

 

[tokkun]

Subsidized at $199, so it would be at least $400 without contract?

If memory serves, the previous Google phone (Google Ion / T-Mobile MyTouch 3G) sold for $199 on contract, $399 off.

 

[pxleyes]

If memory serves, the previous Google phone (Google Ion / T-Mobile MyTouch 3G) sold for $199 on contract, $399 off.

myTouch and Cliq both are at those price points.

I'm so fucking giddy! Welcome back to the big time T-mobile. And for everyone, welcome to reasonable pricing.

 

[SimleuqiR]

Did we ever get any new info on how this would work on AT&T. I know everyone was saying it would work on T-Mobile's existing network, but people were saying it might work on AT&T but then again it might not... or at least it would work except for 3G?

Update on this if there is one anybody?

It will work on AT&T but EDGE:

Update: We're going to pull this back a bit. So far the FCC has posted a trio of reports this morning for the Nexus One but the outcome is inconclusive based on our own continued research and from the discussion in our comments. According to the bands listed (I, IV, and VIII) we're definitely looking at a T-Mobile USA device as well as applicability on European networks (among others). The whole AT&T range is in doubt as the test lab incorrectly lists 815-880MHz frequencies as part of band VIII. Hold tight as we dig deeper.

Update 2: Only WCDMA Band IV was tested in the Part 22H / 24E / 27 Report, leading us to believe that the Nexus One is going to be HSPA 900 / 1700 / 2100 (a pretty common tri-band 3G setup) plus quadband EDGE. Sorry, AT&T, but that's how the cookie crumbles.