Nexus One launches on i wireless @ $299

[ChristopherMcG]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/25/n...l-channels-co/

f you want to know what Google meant by "more retail availability" for the Nexus One when it talked about spiking its first-party phone store, take a good, hard look at our brave new world here. Independent retailer i Wireless has started offering a number of Android devices in the past few days, including the Nexus One -- a product that's still extraordinarily difficult to find outside of Google's own site, especially since none of the American Big Four carriers intend to offer it directly. It turns out that i Wireless is an authorized T-Mobile affiliate, so they're selling the phone for $299.95 on contract after rebate -- a good bit more than the $179 Google charges, but in return, it looks like you can select just about any plan T-Mobile offers (Google restricts you to the Even More 500 plan to get the subsidy). We think we already miss the old way of getting these things.

thought this would be the right section because i wireless is a T-Mobile affiliate, and it could be a sign of things to come.

[Protagonist]

what a rip.

[mpapple10]

I just bought a nexus one. Ill be upset if there's going to be a way to get it on em+ soon.

[jet1000]

I just bought a nexus one. Ill be upset if there's going to be a way to get it on em+ soon.

T-Mobile doesn't subsidize devices when you are on the EM+ plan.

[bachviet]

I hope T-Mobile does not sell it since it will force me off the web2go data plan.

[pakraider]

I don't think this is a sign of T-Mobile carrying the phone. i wireless has tons of unbranded devices that they subsidize for customers. I suppose they are able to do this because of the volume of commissions they earn. It's a cool concept that I hope other resellers adopt as well, so that there is a wider variety of devices to choose from.

[mpapple10]

T-Mobile doesn't subsidize devices when you are on the EM+ plan.

I know that. I was thinking that I could have gotten it with eip.

[raduque]

And it's still too expensive. It should've been $300 unsubsidized, unlocked, from Google. It would've blown everything else on the market away.

Shame.

[reuthermonkey]

And it's still too expensive. It should've been $300 unsubsidized, unlocked, from Google. It would've blown everything else on the market away.

Shame.

Right. And mansions in the Florida Keys should go for $99,000.

[raduque]

Right. And mansions in the Florida Keys should go for $99,000.

Well they should, but that's because it's a ****-tastic area, and I should know, I lived there.

My point, which I bet you missed, is that the Nexus One was nothing new or special. It was simply Google selling the phone exactly like a carrier would - extremely overpriced, or discount under contract.

They missed a massive opportunity to actually change the cellphone industry. If they had done it like the rumors had originally called for, then Android would've been on top of the game well before now.

[jet1000]

If they had done it like the rumors had originally called for, then Android would've been on top of the game well before now.

What, sell the device with an extreme loss per unit? Why would they do that? Android seems to be on top of the game as it is.

the Nexus One was nothing new or special

Really, how many other devices were available for use in the U.S. with the 1GHz Snapdragon processor when the Nexus was released?

How many other Android devices will run the Froyo currently---which includes among other things, the ability to run Flash?

[reuthermonkey]

Well they should, but that's because it's a ****-tastic area, and I should know, I lived there.

My point, which I bet you missed, is that the Nexus One was nothing new or special. It was simply Google selling the phone exactly like a carrier would - extremely overpriced, or discount under contract.

No. I got your "point". Your point fails because you apparently don't know the costs of producing a good cellular phone.
Let's see. Nokia sells the E71 - originally released in June of '08 - for $279. How on earth do you think they're going to sell an N1 - from Jan '10 - for $300 off contract?

They missed a massive opportunity to actually change the cellphone industry. If they had done it like the rumors had originally called for, then Android would've been on top of the game well before now.

Android's doing just fine without a successful Nexus One pissing off Motorola and Samsung. They're not Apple - they're not out to undercut their very own partners. The wanted to try to introduce the unsubsidized pricing style to the US - something that's been successful for years in Europe. That's all. They thought it would be revolutionary. Considering only TMO adopted the decreased non-subsidy pricing, it was bound to fail since it didn't give non-tmo customers a discount in the first place. Add to that the contract restrictions and higher pricing for renewals on TMO and it really didn't have much of a chance.

[STRazr]

They're not Apple - they're not out to undercut their very own partners.

Let's be fair now, Google did totally kneecap Apple on the whole smartphone thing in the first place. Not that is was a bad call, but it was still a d*** move.

[reuthermonkey]

Let's be fair now, Google did totally kneecap Apple on the whole smartphone thing in the first place. Not that is was a bad call, but it was still a d*** move.

they purchased Android in 2005 - iPhone wasn't released for another 2 years. Andy Rubin (of Android the upstart) stated in 2003 that they believed that cell phones had the potential we see today (location-based, user-customized services).

While the iPhone was certainly first to market, it was clear well before 2007 that Google had strong mobile ambitions. Apple's perspective on the matter (that Android didn't exist before Apple) doesn't really hold up to reality.

Now, if we were talking about ChromeOS - maybe. But not really for Android.