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Apple HTC lawsuit: If I can't get my Nexus One...

Last week we heard that the Google Nexus One is most likely coming to Verizon in March based on the FCC's approval of a CDMA version of the phone. It might even be offered cheaply at Walmart!
Written by Christopher Dawson, Contributor

Last week we heard that the Google Nexus One is most likely coming to Verizon in March based on the FCC's approval of a CDMA version of the phone. It might even be offered cheaply at Walmart! What could be better, right? Given that I live in the sticks and only have reasonable reception on Verizon, this makes me a pretty happy guy, especially since my trusty Blackberry is getting mighty long in the tooth.

And then Apple has to go and sue HTC for patent infringement in such phones as the Dream, Magic, Droid Eris, Google G1, and, of course, the Nexus One. Larry Dignan wonders if Motorola is next on Apple's list-o'-companies-to-sue over their Droid. All I really want though is a great Android-based smartphone on a network that can actually get a bar or two of 3G to my house (that would be Verizon).

Apple obviously has the right to defend its patents. Whatever. This particular lawsuit, however (along with those that will most likely follow), has the potential to really crush competition in a market that has long been dominated by Apple and RIM (but, let's face it: outside of the enterprise market, it's been utterly owned by Apple since they introduced the iPhone). Android phones represented the first real challenge to the iPhone whose only handicap was its exclusivity (at least in the States) with AT&T.

I'm actually typing this on my MacBook, but I'm no Apple fan. There's a lot of innovation happening at Cupertino, but for me, Android represents a very compelling platform because of its potential for development in the open source community. If Apple's lawsuit keeps me from getting that Nexus One (or largely eliminates Android phones from the marketplace for that matter), Apple will officially move from my pretty-but-overpriced list to my naughty list. Seriously, only coal in their collective stocking this year.

Be sure to check out Larry Dignan's article on the suit for a complete list of alleged patent infringements and other technical details. For now, I better snag that Nexus One as soon as it can be had with a Verizon contract; I'd like to get one while I still can.

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