Google is all-too-happy to give away Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Earth for free, but to get an unlocked Nexus One smartphone, you'll need to shell out $530. That's the news from a leak to Gizmodo that also suggested a version of the phone running T-Mobile will cost $180. While some are bemoaning the cost (the Atlantic Wire covered the bad news about the phone here) many tech-writers are still focusing on the positive impact the phone could have on the smartphone industry.

• Introducing Americans to Unlocked Phones, writes Martin Bryant at The Next Web. "Americans may suddenly see the their mobile contracts in a whole new light thanks to Google. They may realise that they don't have to bend over and take whatever the networks throw at them. We may see the American mobile market mature as a result.Europeans, on the other hand, are likely to say 'Meh' and move on."

• Expensive, Yes, but Will Force Carriers to Change, suggests MG Siegler at TechCrunch. "While it's true that Google is unlikely to be selling a $530 phone in droves, its existence means something. It points to a future where the carriers don't dominate the mobile scene with their ridiculous contracts and lock-in policies. And that's a good thing."

• A Good Phone, Albeit Overpriced, says Jason Chen at Gizmodo. "Google's not going to be selling the phone at cost, like so many people considered. They're not going to save us from the 'making money off of hardware' culture we've got right now, so this is basically just another Android handset, albeit a really good one."

• ...But Likely to Be Beaten by Other Android Competitors, argues Kit Eaton at Fast Company. "We're done: You're way less exciting than we'd hoped...Despite its Google livery, and its high-specced internals, the Google phone isn't the One Android Phone To Rule Them All. It's simply another among the herd, and it's likely that both its specs and prices will be quickly beaten by a competitor Android maker." He reminds his readers of the last "heavily branded Google Phone"--the G1. He concludes, "The G1 didn't really take the world by storm, so presumably Google's hoping the Nexus One will fare better."

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