Google Gives In On Nexus One Fees, Support

I'm talking, of course, about the Nexus One. Google has made a handful of significant changes to its first self-sold Android phone over the past several days, slowly but surely responding to criticism and adjusting its approach. From slicing supersized fees to expanding support options, Google seems focused on fixing the negative perception that surrounded the phone's launch.

Google's Nexus One Early Termination Fee

First, the fees: When the Nexus One entered the world, it didn't take long for people to realize this baby was a bit different. Thanks to the atypical sales setup of the subsidized phone -- you're buying the handset from Google, but using it with T-Mobile -- the contract essentially doubled up on early termination fees.

The problem was that both Google and T-Mobile were piling on their own fees: $350 from Google and $200 from T-Mobile if you decided to bail early. All combined, then, you'd face a whopping $550 in penalty charges for cancelling your service within the first four months.

No matter how you look at it, that's a lot of shekels. Even the much-maligned AT&T charges only $175 for cancelling an iPhone contract early, and Verizon's recently doubled rate still reaches only the $350 mark. Heck, the Nexus One itself doesn't even cost $550 -- you can buy the thing unlocked for $529.