HTC Nexus One by Google

Perhaps more than any other smartphone of its era, the Nexus One put Google Android on the map. The Nexus One, announced in January 2010, was built to Google's specifications -- inside designed by Google and an outside designed by HTC -- and it quickly earned plaudits for its loaded feature set. In particular, the unit came with a gorgeous display and a super-fast processor. It also was the first Android handset to offer noise cancellation, with a couple of microphones that adjusted the volume level according to the background noise. Even though it didn't undercut the arguments for buying an iPhone, the Nexus One still constituted a big enhancement to the Google Android family. (And, let us recall, it also came unlocked.)