The Nexus One hype machine got a major boost this morning on news that Google is planning to announce their Android phone on Jan. 5th. With hardware spy shots already in the wild, UI demos floating around, and specs largely confirmed, all that was missing was a price-point and rate plan information. This all-important piece of the Nexus One pie has just been leaked for all the world to see. Newly leaked information now indicates that Google will sell their own-branded Android phone directly to customers for $180 when purchased with a new 2-year T-Mobile contract, or $530 outright and contract-free. The leaked docs also indicate that Google will be referring to the phone as the Nexus One, not the Google Phone.
But wait, there’s more. Google, known for their open Android operating system, won’t be as open when it comes to rate plans for the Nexus One. The phone will be subsidized on a single rate plan from T-Mobile: the Even More 1000 plan bundled with unlimited text messages and web (data) for $79.99 per month. If you want to pick up the Nexus One at the discounted price, you’ll have to opt for this single plan. If you want to use your current T-Mobile plan with the Nexus One, you’ll have to buy the $530 unlocked version. If you decide to cancel your subsidized phone’s contract before 120 days, Google will automatically charge your credit card for the difference of $350.
Google will be making a profit on the phone and, for some reason, will require that you acknowledge HTC has the manufacturer, not Google, before you are allowed to buy the device. Each Google account is limited to a purchase limit of 5 Nexus One phones, and they’ll be sold through the google.com/phone website.
That’s everything we know at this point. If this leak proves accurate, the Nexus One will soon hit the scene with a run-of-the-mill price tag that should give other Android phones some stiff competition. The only question is, will you be picking up an XPERIA X10 or a Nexus One next year?
[Via: Gizmodo]