Google! Touchscreen! Replicants! The Nexus One, a touchscreen smartphone designed by Google and made by HTC, may not be the next Jesus Phone, but word on the street is that it’s quite nifty and goes on sale on Tuesday, January 5th. What should you know before you order?

Essentially, the Nexus One is a really nice touchscreen phone running Google’s Android smartphone operating system.

According to Gizmodo, here’s the price structure:

• To get the subsidized handset price of $180, you have to sign up for a two-year contract on T-Mobile’s Even More + Text + Web plan for $79.99. No family plans and no other plans can get the subsidized price.
• An unlocked, unsubsidized phone will cost $530.
• Google and HTC, not T-Mobile, will handle sales, support, returns and exchanges, etc.
• If you cancel the T-Mobile plan within the first 4 months, you must either return the phone to Google or pay the difference between the subsidized and unlocked price–$350. It’s not clear whether this is in lieu of or in addition to early termination fees from T-Mobile.

Leaked Nexus One Documents: $530 Unlocked, $180 With T-Mobile [Gizmodo]
T-Mobile “Officially” Confirms Google Phone [TmoNews]

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