Google lowers ETF on Nexus One

The Nexus One is a strange device. It is the only cellphone of any kind that has two Early Termination Fees, one from the carrier (currently only T-Mobile), and one from Google itself. That alone was enough to get the FCC asking Google about why it charges an ETF for the Nexus One. We haven’t yet seen those answers, but we do know that Google has responded in another way.

Before today, the Nexus One came with a $350 ETF from Google, what it calls an “Equipment Recovery Fee,” that went into place within the first 120 days of ownership. Without saying a word, Google today updated the Terms of Sale for the Nexus one, cutting the ETF by $200 to $150. That fee still comes on top of the $200 ETF from T-Mobile. That’s $350 if you buy a subsidized Nexus One, which will cost you $179 to begin with. So, with going by that idea, the Nexus One will cost $529, the same price it would cost you to buy one unlocked and use as you wish.

It’s still unclear why Google would even charge for the Equipment Recovery Fee, and hopefully we will get an answer sometime soon. Until then, it makes more sense to just buy the phone unlocked and get any plan you could want. Given the way many have been talking about it, the price might just be worth it.

Read [Electronista]