I'm Confused

My contract is up on my Verizon cell phone in about one month. I'm currently rolling with the original LG Dare. It's a decent phone but doesn't compare at all with the touch screen phones that are currently on the market. I'm looking to make the leap to a smart phone when I'm eligible to upgrade phones for the discounted price. I have two particular phones in mind when it comes to upgrading - the Apple iPhone and the Google Nexus One. Sounds like a simple decision considering I'm sticking with Verizon and the iPhone is currently not available. In fact, the decision is not simple at all and gets me thinking about Apple and Google business decisions.

My thoughts on Apple's stubborness are well documented. I believe they have made a poor business decision by not manufacturing an iPhone for the Verizon network. However, I must admit that at this point, the window for an iPhone to hit Verizon in the near future has closed. Verizon is currently testing its next generation network (LTE), which is the future of cell phone networks. Apple will likely wait until this new network is fully functionable before investing in a new iPhone for Verizon. The Verizon LTE network is in testing now and is due to hit the ground running sometime in the middle of 2011. That said, the best case scenario for an iPhone to hit Verizon is summer of next year. In other words, that sucks for me. Do I ride out my Dare for another year with the hope that Apple releases an iPhone on Verizon in 2011, or do I get the next best touch screen smartphone next month?

The next best phone, in my opinion, would be the Google Nexus One. However, that presents an entirely different issue that has me scratching my head over Google's rationale. It's documented that the Nexus One is coming to Verizon in the next few weeks. Well that's great news! I can go to the Verizon store and play around with the phone and decide then and there if I'll take the Nexus One or wait for an iPhone. Not so fast. It's very possible that Google will not allow the Nexus One to be sold in Verizon stores. That means that the Nexus One will be available only via Google's online store. Say what? To me, this move is even more dimwitted than Apple's decision to stick with AT&T. Google has already put up the investment to release a Verizon compatible Nexus One. Why in the world wouldn't you make it available for purchase everywhere, which would extend it's reach and increase sales. In fact, this possibility has caused Goldman Sachs to severely cut down the forecast of Nexus One sales. I thought Google was a top notch company with some intelligence. I haven't tapped into their logic on this one.

So I'm confused. Logic tells me that I should be patient and wait for the iPhone because that is the phone I really want. The "high maintenace" side of me doesn't want to wait and tells me that the Nexus One is a viable alternative. However, I'm not dishing out the cash for the Nexus One without a chance to thoroughly play with it. Maybe Google will decided to wise up because if they don't, sounds like I'm going to ride the Dare into 2011.