Nexus One could be Android's catalyst

With all of the recent leaks and hands-on experiences littering the internet lately, I think it's safe to say that the Google Android Nexus One is all but a foregone conclusion. So rather than spending more time debating whether it will ever hit the market or how it will be sold, I'd like to talk about what it could do for Android when it does arrive. Will it be a game changer? Will it take out a certain phone from Cupertino?

By now it should be fairly obvious that no singular handset will be an iPhone killer. Taken as a whole, however, Android will amass an army of handsets that will eclipse Apple's market share. With an estimated 50 handsets due in 2010, it will be impossible to withstand the coming barrage for long. Android will overtake Apple's handset; it's not a question of "if," but rather "when" it happens. And I believe that the Nexus One is the exactly catalyst needed to push Android forward much faster.

The pre-launch iPhone aside, we've not seen a level of excitement like this for a phone that, for all practical purposes, doesn't even exist yet. There's obviously no marketing campaign for the Nexus One, yet lately it's routinely among the most popular topics on the technology blogs. Browsing through visitor comments, I get the sense that people no longer need to be convinced of how good Android is or what it offers.

If any company has a brand awareness to rival Apple it would be Google. And if the rumors are correct, Google has handcrafted every aspect of the Nexus One experience, down to each panel and icon. The videos and screen shots we've seen so far indicate a much more polished interface--one that may rival the experience of the iPhone.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that the Nexus One will have mass-market appeal. Tech geeks and early adopters are already fawning over the specs. With its rumored Snapdragon 1GHz processor, 512MB ROM/RAM, and AMOLOED screen, the Nexus One is the most advanced Android phone yet by far. Consumers in the market for a sharp smartphone will no doubt be attracted to the thin design and large touch screen. And as with Apple, there will be people who buy it just for the fact that it has "Google" on it.

Priced right, the Nexus One could be the handset that T-Mobile's been waiting for. The carrier has offered Android phones for over a year now, but this could be the one that puts them on the fast track for the No. 3 spot here in the United States.