Lemondrop

We've been pretty skeptical about iPhone wannabes, but it's hard to ignore the tech-nerd brouhaha these past two weeks surrounding the Nexus One -- the newest Google phone.

This one's available on T-Mobile, and the geeks are all humming for good reason: it's about as slim and lightweight as the iPhone, with a bigger, brighter touchscreen. But is it a so-called iPhone killer? Not exactly. Here's what you need to know -- good and bad -- before you trade up.

Why You Should Buy
1. It looks pretty and has lots of apps. Not only does the Nexus One look as sleek and compact as the iPhone (it easily fits into the front pocket of my skinny jeans), it's also as simple to use. It runs the latest version of Google's Android operating system, which has pretty 3D menus that are easy to find your way around. And just like the iPhone, the Nexus One has plenty of apps you can download. Sure, the iPhone still has more fart noise and plastic surgery gems, but when it comes to the stuff you really need -- weather and news updates, movie tickets and restaurant locators -- the Nexus One has plenty to offer. It helps that Android makes it easy for app developers to get their stuff out on the market (Apple's approval process can take months), which means there are more awesome apps soon to come.

2. It does things the iPhone doesn't. The Nexus One has tons of voice controls -- that actually work -- including the ability to dictate text messages. You can also get turn-by-turn directions. If that sounds like a gimmick, imagine how relieved and empowered I felt when I got off a plane in a strange city and used my phone to help my cab driver find my hotel. Best of all: you don't have to pay extra for this feature, as you would on almost any other phone.

3. This thing is fast. Blazing fast. Every time you tap or touch the screen, the Nexus One responds right away, so you can focus on using the phone for emailing and Web surfing, and not have to wait for the phone to catch up. Just as important are the data speeds, and that depends on your network. In my tests, the Nexus One, which runs on T-Mobile, loaded Web pages in half the time it took a similar phone on Verizon.

Click to read the counterargument, after the jump.

Why You Should Wait
The keyboard needs work. As much as I like the Nexus One, it's still not as easy to type on as the iPhone. Those virtual keys are so small and crowded that even though I have narrow fingers and have had time to practice, I still make plenty of mistakes. That's another thing: The spellcheck and autocorrect isn't as smart as the iPhone's. If you're not careful, you can send some texts you'll have a hard time explaining your way out of.

The service can be pretty inconsistent. When the Nexus One is fast, it's fast. But sometimes, for no reason at all, it will drop out of T-Mobile's 3G network, and use the much-slower EDGE network instead. Trying to watch YouTube at that speed can be painful. Even more frustrating, T-Mobile doesn't know how to fix the problem yet.

Google's customer service sucks. The Nexus One hasn't even been on sale for two weeks, and already customers have learned that getting answers to their questions can be a huge headache. The problem? You can only buy the phone through Google. That means you're stuck dealing with Google's customer service, which, unfortunately, only includes an abyss -- excuse me, email address -- to which you can send your complaints. Personally, I'd be wary of buying anything where I couldn't dial a phone number and talk to a human if I had a problem. To add insult to injury, if you decide to get rid of the Nexus One before your two-year contract with T-Mobile is up, you're out big bucks: T-Mobile charges up to $200 for prematurely cancelling service, while Google charges a $350 restocking fee. Ouch.

Dana Wollman covers all manners of gadgets for LAPTOP magazine. She only just bought her first smartphone and now can't live without her Motorola Droid.