Anticipation has been building for Google‘s as-yet-unannounced Nexus One smartphone ever since Google started seeding the device to employees earlier this month—and while the company has called an Android press event for January 5th (on the eve of CES), details of the Nexus One’s pricing and terms have apparently already leaked.
According to materials published by the gadget blog Gizmodo, the Nexus One phone will be on sale in two editions: a $530 unlocked edition, or a $180 edition with a two-year service contract from T-Mobile. The T-Mobile service agreement matches the company’s “Even More” plan while includes 500 minutes of talk time and unlimited text and data for about $80 a month. Users who cancel their plan within 120 days of signing up, however, will be hit with a wallop: a Verizon-like $350 early termination fee—unless they return the phone to Google. Google apparently only intends to support up to five Nexus One phones per Google account.
Spending $530 for an unlocked smartphone might seem ridiculous to folks who just want to place the occasional call while away from home, but probably won’t put off aficionados eager to set their hands on Google first-ever smartphone. Another question might be how Google’s Android partners feel about going head-to-head with Google’s brand in the smartphone market—doing its own smartphones could be a good move for Google, but may also erode third party support for Android.
