Sprint has announced that Google will sell a Sprint version of the Nexus One "superphone," with details to come soon:
"Nexus One is a powerful device that belongs on a powerful network. This is another step in our continued partnership of innovation with Google," said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. "Sprint customers already have the option of two amazing Android devices with Samsung Moment(TM) and HTC Hero(TM). It is a natural fit for us to add Nexus One to the list of choices available for Sprint customers who want the best value in wireless with the best in Android."
It's a tad odd that Sprint is spreading the news before it's ready to talk pricing, but maybe it wanted to give a heads-up to its customers who craved a Nexus One before they jump to another carrier. And while the Moment and Hero may be nice phones, the Nexus One will easily be the sexiest Android device available for Sprint; for the moment, at least, Sprint is letting Google sell a Sprint phone that trumps the ones available in its own stores.
With the T-Mobile Nexus One, the new AT&T-compatible one, and Verizon and Sprint ones on the way, folks who want a Nexus One will be able to get ones that work on every major U.S. carrier. (AT&T customers will have to pay $529, since there's no subsidized version; I'm assuming that Verizon and Sprint customers will be able to get one cheap with a two-year contract, although I don't think that's official.)
For all the controversy over Google competing directly with its own partners, it's doing a good job of getting the Nexus One onto all the big U.S. networks. Given that the phone doesn't appear to be a blockbuster yet, maybe the rest of the industry has concluded that it doesn't need to fear the Googlephone after all...
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