Any top quality new smart phone deserves to make news, especially in the race to become the first 'iPhone killer', however I thought I'd take a moment to look at the hype from the last 24 hours over the Google Phone - from an Australian perspective.

I haven't used the Nexus One - nor touched it, so I'm just going by feature set and reports coming out of the USA.

The big area I wanted to address first is the 'Ground Breaking Google Phone Store' which allows people to buy the phone direct, unlocked, without a plan.  This is ground-breaking to American's because it's not possible to buy an iPhone over the counter without an AT&T plan in the USA.  Here though, you can logon to Apple's Online store and buy any model you like, direct - no plan. 

Kind of kills the hype straight away from our local perspective.  We've always been able to get most phones in a box full price, it's just that the absolute majority of Australian's do not want, or cannot do this because it's just too expensive.  Instead we are well primed to signing up to 12 or 24 month contracts with a Telco which allows us to essentially pay the phone off over the contract period.  Seems to me this is the standard in the US and there perhaps isn't the same transparency we have. 

That's not to say our Telco model is perfect, however surely we all know what we're getting into and what we're paying for!

So, for me, the Google Phone Store is nothing revolutionary - it's just that in the US it really is a new way to buy a phone.

Looking at the device, it looks slick.  The 5MP Camera with LED Flash and Autofocus is a top start, miles ahead of both iPhone and Blackberry - but they will both catch up soon.

The Screen on the Nexus one appears to be one of its truly great features. The 3.7inch high resolution 480x800 display is class leading, there is nothing like it out there and that is clear on sight according to most reviews online.

Here's my main gripe though - a Trackball?  Has HTC and Google learned nothing from Blackberry's own evolution?  Blackberry moved from the side-of-phone track-wheel to the track-ball with their Pearl some years ago.  Search online forums or ask any IT manager looking after a fleet of Blackberry's and you'll quickly learn the Trackball is the most reported, problematic Blackberry feature.  This is precisely why it has been replaced by a touch pad, just like the Nokia E71/72.

Perhaps I need to use it to understand that, so I will wait and see.

Most of all, this phone isn't dramatically cheaper than the Droid or iPhone - yes it's cheaper, but not by a few hundred dollars.  This is still a $500 + device - US Dollars, so expect it to land in Australia at $700+.

If you buy a Nexus One on eBay or somewhere similar and try and use it in Australia - beware - it's unlikely you will get 3G speeds looking at the frequencies the device operates at - so take caution.

Overall, this is an exciting phone - no doubt.  Any device built around an operating System (Google's Android) should be more robust and outperform handsets that have operating systems thrown on them - this is proven by the success of the iPhone - however I don't think the Nexus One is an iPhone killer.