Google Phone
Last week, Google released their own phone called the Nexus One, although many people just call it the “Google Phone.” Why is yet another smart phone a worthy subject? Because Google is selling the phone directly, like Apple does with the iPhone.
BUT, Google attempts to take things one step further by offering an “unlocked” version of the phone which can be used by any carrier willing to accommodate it for about $529. The “regular” version can be purchased with a T-Mobile contract for $179, and will also be offered by Verizon soon.
The phone looks and acts like many of the newer non-Blackberry smartphones today (touchscreen, no keyboard, plenty of apps, music, video playback, etc.). The reviews are mostly positive, the cost is in line with its peers, but the real story here is that another company is taking the Apple approach of bringing the product directly to the consumer in the hopes that the wireless provider won’t hold so much power. In the long run, the hope is that perhaps you pay a little more for a high quality phone, but the phone does not have to be tied directly to contracts or specific wireless carriers.
Think of it this way: there are people who love their Tivos and happily pay the extra cost for them, knowing they are compatible with satellite, cable, etc. Then there are those of us who just “rent” the DVR that comes with the cable package, even though it may not offer the same options as a Tivo brand product. Apple and Google are trying the Tivo approach, hoping that the carriers accommodate so they can realize the full profit from the phones they make.
There are positives and negatives to both approaches, and now you understand the business relationships a little better.
Read on:
Google.com – phone (Nexus One)
Engadget.com – Nexus One review
(image above taken from: http://www.axisofjustice.org/technology/google-android-nexus-one-smartphone-for-business.html)
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