Google Nexus One: what's the big deal?

So, it seems that this year that CES has been slightly overshadowed by Google finally announcing its first mobile phone. But let's be clear here, it's not really theirs, it is being made by HTC who probably did all the work for the hardware. It does run Google's own software though, Android 2.1 Eclair update to be exact. It has a nice 3.7" AMOlED touchscreen consisting of 480 x 800 pixels, as opposed to 320 x 480 in the iPhone which it is clearly in contention with. It is also similarly sized to the iPhone, despite having a larger screen, it weighs almost the same (130g) and is 11.5mm thick (slightly slimmer than the iPhone). It also has a trackball (wrong to start with, but bear with it) which lights up different colours for different notifications like email, text or call, useless if it's in your pocket though (see, I outsmarted both Google and HTC together). It also has a removable battery (good choice) which the iPhone doesn't, and a 5MP camera with LED flash which wipes the iPhone off the floor.

But what is different is how it is being sold. Google has its own online store for it (presumably through Google Checkout) and then it's unlocked for you to slot your own sim card into, no matter which country you live in. But T-Mobile have it for sale in America for $179 on a contract and it is going to be on Vodafone in Europe. But, I don't see what all the hype is about. It is an HTC phone marketed through Google which is very good but not really groundbreaking. It's not like everyone gets this excited about every phone that HTC release (of course some might, but still). It is likely to take a while to get over here to the UK, though, so don't hold your breath for it.

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