HTC

After much speculation and chatter, Google officially launched its Nexus One smartphone today in Mountain View, CA. With just a Google account (i.e. Gmail), you can log in to the Nexus One website and pick one up for yourself unlocked for $529 or $179 with T-Mobile. Not a T-Mobile customer? It's OK, since Verizon and Vodafone are hopping on board later this year.

The Nexus One is packed with a 3.7 AMOLED display, runs Android 2.1 on a 1GHz processor, and comes with some excellent 3D graphics. Shoots MPEG4 video on its 5MP camera that boasts an LED flash for those dimly-lit photo shoots.

The great news is that some of Google's best features come standard on Nexus One: Google Earth, Google Maps (with turn-by-turn directions and voice output), and Google Voice. There's a ton more specs to go over, so check them out when you read more

Although rumors of a sub-$1000 Mac Tablet revealed this month are hitting a fever pitch, Apple isn't the only one making their mark in the tablet arena. According to an Australian publication, HTC is whipping up a Chrome-based tablet to premiere at this week's CES. HTC headquarters must have been a busy place over the past year, since they are also behind Google's Nexus One Android phone which is set to launch tomorrow at a Google press event (not to mention rumors of a Chrome OS Netbook to boot).

Tablets do seem to be the netbook of 2010, with new contenders being announced nearly every week. But here's my question to you — you already have a laptop, a netbook, a home computer and a smartphone, so will you be buying a tablet to add to your expanding collection of gadgets, or is it too early to tell?

• With a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, and WiFi, the Touch Pro2 may be worth checking out on Aug. 12 — Engadget
• Eye-Fi announces the Geo, which will automatically upload photos to iPhoto or another folder on your desktop — CrunchGear
• Find out what the best digital camera is for under $100 — Switched
• Twitter gets its first real face lift — a new homepage — Mashable
• Check out some great gadget deals of the day — Gizmodo
• We're still giving away Amazon Kindles! Log in for a chance to win one — geeksugar

The HTC Snap has been in stores since the beginning of June, but I wanted to wait until I got my hands on one to give you a run down on its features. At first glance, the HTC Snap has a BlackBerry look to it, more so a BlackBerry Bold than a BlackBerry Curve . . . but when you pick it up, you can definitely tell it isn't a BlackBerry.

If you're a Windows Mobile fan, this bad boy runs Win Mo 6.1, so you can easily sync up your contacts, calendar, and email. And with the one touch access keys, you can get to your camera, messages, and the Internet quickly and effortlessly. Other useful features include a two megapixel camera, a microSD card slot for additional storage, and GPS functionality. I also want to point out that it offers a full QWERTY keyboard with keys that are a tad on the bigger side for those who find BlackBerry's to be difficult to type on.

Thumbs down goes to the fact that it doesn't have WiFi or a regular headphone jack.

You can currently pick one up from Sprint for $150 (give or take your contract situation), or if you're with T-Mobile or Verizon, have a peek at the T-Mobile Dash 3G or the Verizon HTC Ozone, which are basically the same device as the Snap.

Just days after T-Mobile announced their next Google Android handset — the myTouch — HTC is now announcing their latest Android smartphone, the Hero. What's great about HTC is that it really strives to improve its handsets over time, so you know you're always getting something exponentially better than a previous model. For instance, the Hero comes with a whopping five megapixel camera and an anti-fingerprint coating on its 3.2 inch HVGA touchscreen. . . a big step up from the Magic. You can check out the video below to see its fancy new HTC Sense UI in action. The HTC Hero will be available in Europe and Asia later his Summer and will make it to the US by the end of the year.

• The reviews are pouring in, and so far so good for the Palm Pre. — Wired
• Nintendo will release a red DSi in Japan on July 11. — Kotaku
• Microsoft's new Bing Travel site offers tools like price predictors, rate indicators, travel deals, and fare alerts. — TechCrunch
• Sony Ericsson goes green with its new 901 GreenHeart cell phone. — Boing Boing Gadgets
• Palm delivers an eye-catching commercial for the Pre. — CrunchGear
• The Peek email device is down to $20 on Amazon. — Slashgear
• It's rumored that HTC will announcing the Hero phone in London later this month. — Gizmodo