Google’s own branded Nexus One is quietly creeping into more carrier partnerships, filling out the long tail by targeting those more obscure North American spectrum frequencies.

The much discussed ‘Google phone’ became a commercial reality at the beginning of the year, when the web giant unveiled the first of its own-brand devices – the Nexus One. The announcement raised a number of eyebrows and even more questions.

Never mind whether androids conjure electric sheep as they sleep, the Google-backed mobile phone platform has inspired some very big dreams indeed. Tech event CES always ensures the year starts off with a bang, drawing a big crowd. But the Informer finds Las Vegas no easier to stomach than its culinary equivalent (a big bowl of refined sugar with half a bottle of gin poured over it), which is the reason he’s holed up in snowy London watching the flurry of product announcements as they settle inches deep on the highways of the internet. That and the absence of a travel budget.