Google Summer of Code 2011 is over, and all of our students have successfully finished their respective projects. All of the code is available in Git repositories, but not all of it is going to be part of the next released versions of GEGL and GIMP. Here is why.
An employee at my local Verizon store said today that the Google Nexus One should be available in late spring. He also said Verizon should be selling them in stores, as opposed to Google’s current marketing strategy with T-Mobile, which is to sell the phone only through its website. The employee was careful to use the word “should,” so I wouldn’t call that a confirmation of anything. But if the phone is sold in Verizon’s stores, it is almost definite that it would be available at a subsidized price with a two-year contract, which seems very attractive compared to the $529 price tag for an unlocked phone.
It is now the end of March and Google has not released a Verizon version of the Nexus One. Rumors continue to be propagated. One of the most recent things on my radar was a screenshot that was being circulated, showing the Verizon Nexus One with a $199 subsidized price tag with a 2-year contract. It was said that Google had accidentally published this on their Nexus One site, and it only appeared for a few minutes. There’s no telling if the screenshot was real. I check the site just about every day, and it still reads, “Coming Soon … Spring 2010.” Some blogs have stated that there is now an April release date scheduled. It is my opinion that it is all speculation and no one but Google and Verizon knows when the release date is. Until then, I wait.
This post was written from the balcony of my apartment with a gentle breeze blowing under a cloudless sky, with a temperature of 81F.
Google Nexus One
As you can see in my ringtone tutorial, I have an old cell phone. I’ve been planning on making an upgrade. One phone that I’ve been interested in is the Google Nexus One. I think it’s the answer to the iPhone. But I didn’t want T-Mobile, which is the only carrier the N1 has been available on until recently. The N1 site states (as of this writing) that the phone will be available on Verizon in Spring 2010. I had also read lots of rumors that the release date was March 23. Well, March 23 has come and only has a couple of hours left in it, and the N1 site still says “Coming soon” for Verizon. So I guess those rumors were just that. When you search for “Nexus One” on Verizon’s wireless site, you are automatically forwarded to Google’s N1 site. The rumors I’ve been able to find about it is that the N1 will be available for purchase only through Google, through which you will purchase your service with Verizon or whatever mobile carrier you choose. The phone will not be in Verizon stores.
The price of an unlocked N1 without a contract is $529. In recent days, the N1 site has updated to say that the unlocked version is now available on AT&T, Rogers Wireless (Canada) and T-Mobile. The subsidized price with a 2-year T-Mobile contract is $179.
The N1 is really attractive to me because it’s a cool 3G phone running Android. It’s the latest and greatest … almost.
Just today I heard about the HTC Evo, which will be available on Sprint this summer. It’s a 4G phone. Sprint’s site says 4G is 10 times faster than 3G. That sure would be neat. I haven’t learned much about the Evo. HTC is also the manufacturer of the N1.
Now I’m debating whether I should go ahead and get the N1, which I’ve kind of had my heart set on, or if I should hold out for the Evo. Tell me about your phone in the comments.
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