MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. —
Google is out to build sales momentum
for its Nexus One smartphone by
launching versions intended for more 3G
networks in the U.S.
A study by mobile analytics company
Flurry found the Nexus One available in
January for use on T-Mobile’s 3G network,
sold 135,000 units to consumers during its
first 74 days of availability, compared to 1
million iPhones during its first 74 days and
1.05 million Motorola Droids.
To expand the potential customer
base, Google just launched a Nexus One
version for use on AT&T’s 3G network,
and a Sprint-network version is on the
way. Both versions of the Android 2.1-
based smartphone are intended for sale
only through Google’s online store.
Google started selling the AT&T 3Gnetwork
version unlocked at $529 without
service plan, but it will offer the
Sprint version at a subsidized price with
Sprint service plan, Sprint said. Details
of the Sprint service plan, phone pricing
and availability date will be announced
“soon,” the carrier said.
Meantime, a Google spokesperson told
TWICE that it still plans to offer a Verizon
Wireless version with service-plan
subsidy “soon.”
The new versions are joining Google’s
original Nexus One, launched earlier this
year for use on T-Mobile’s 3G network.
That version, which could also operate on
AT&T’s lower-speed 2G and EDGE networks,
is available unlocked at $529 but
also at a subsidized price of $179 with a
two-year T-Mobile service contract.
The AT&T 3G version, like the T-Mobile
3G version, operates in 3G mode internationally
in the 2.1GHz band. They
feature HSPA data technology to download
at peak rates up to 7.2Mbps and upload
at 2Mbps peaks.
The Nexus One offers 1GHz Qualcomm
processor, an embedded navigation
application with spoken turn-by-turn
driving instructions, five home-screen
panels, Wi-Fi, 5-megapixel camera/camcorder
with geo-tagging and 4GB removable
SD card that’s expandable to 32GB.
Sprint touted the market potential for mating the phone with its 3G coverage,
which it contended is twice as large
in square miles as AT&T’s 3G network
and 10 times larger than T-Mobile’s 3G
network. The carrier also touted the
potential of pairing the phone with its
Everything Data 450 plan, which delivers
unlimited voice, text, Web and
navigation for $69.99/month. Similarly
priced plans from AT&T and Verizon,
Sprint said, deliver only unlimited
talk for that price.
