Google Nexus One Mobile gets Launch Date

Google has sent out invitations for a January 5 "Android press gathering" at their Mountain View, Calif. campus. Everyone expects the event will be the official unveiling of the Nexus One Mobile phone, although Google didn't say as much in the invitation.

The final piece of the Nexus One puzzle fell into place when Gizmodo and Engadget posted leaked documents purporting to show the Nexus One's price: $529.99 "unlocked" or $179.99 with a two-year T-Mobile contract and a very specific, limited service plan.

If that is indeed the pricing, the Google narrative changes here from "are they going to disrupt the wireless industry?" to "do they want to sell any of these at all?" For an unlocked, high-end smartphone, $529.99 is pretty standard. Without a contract, the Nokia E72 is around $400, the Motorola Droid is $559.99, and the iPhone 3GS is $599.99. None of them are big sellers at those prices.

Gizmodo says that to get a $179.99 Nexus One you'll need to sign up for a single, specific T-Mobile plan (500 minutes, unlimited data), which makes absolutely zero sense unless Google doesn't actually want to sell any phones.

I hope that this phone will sell with the full T-Mobile range of plans, just like any other T-Mobile smartphone. So given that this is just like any other T-Mobile smartphone, why is Google making so much of a fuss over it?

On the other hand, they could have some sort of blockbuster surprise next week.

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