Mario Queiroz, vice-president of Product Management for Google, displays Google's Nexus One smart phone during the unveiling at Google's headquarters on Jan. 5.Pool/Getty Images
The Google Nexus One smart phone is finally available in Canada but unlike the iPhone, it only took about three months to get here.
Google announced Tuesday its multi-touch smart phone is now available for shipping north of the border. Sure, the overly resourceful among you probably managed to get a hold of one five minutes after it was announced on January 05, but now you can go to the Nexus One site and order one with a Canadian credit card and have it shipped to Canada. Sounds pretty simple, but remember, Apple's phone took a full year to arrive.
Essentially, the Nexus One is sold unlocked, so you can pop pretty much any SIM card in there and be on your way. Google says the phone is designed to work at 3G speeds with Rogers or Wind Mobile cards, and may only work at 2G speeds with Telus or Bell. Analysts said the Nexus One should work on any incumbents' network, including Bell and Telus, and also, eventually, Videotron and Mobilicity. We haven't tested this yet, though, so any anecdotes would be greatly appreciated.
Although the phone hasn't been sold directly to Canadians, many bought it through friends south of the border or on Ebay. The phone has unofficially worked on Wind Mobile's network for some time now, and several tech geeks and Nexus One enthusiasts could already be seen walking around downtown Toronto with the almost-exclusive device.
However, It is unclear how much the phone will boost wireless companies' bottom lines, since Google is not allowing carriers to sell the phone in their retail stores -- an important part of the cellphone industry ecosystem in Canada.
Google also moved today to clear up an inconsistency that has bugged us for some time. As of today, you can download paid apps for Android-powered phones. Previously, only free apps were available to Canadians. We're not sure why there was such a delay, but we're glad it's been fixed.