Google Play isn’t the only place where you can pick up the new Nexus 5 without a contract, but if you decide to shop elsewhere, you’re likely to pay a lot more for it. In the U.K., for example, the 16GB variant costs £299 ($481) direct from Google, but some stores are charging as much as £400 ($643).

This isn’t just a bid to make a quick buck while the handset is sold out on Google Play. The reason for these high prices is that the cost of the Nexus 5 on Google Play actually undercuts the prices retailers must pay to wholesalers.

Google’s text-to-speech engine is now available as a dedicated app on Android, allowing those with devices from third-party manufacturers (with third-party interfaces) to install use the company’s own technology if they choose to. The app will also allow Google to issue text-to-speech updates more easily, without having to bake them into Android system updates.

T-Mobile is gearing up to launch Google’s new Nexus 5 smartphone on November 20, according to a leaked document that details its retail plans for next month. The carrier will also launch the Nexus 7 tablet on the same day, and both devices will be available to purchase in-store and online.

Google rolled out a new Google Play Services update for Android this week, introducing all kinds of new features and improvements for developers. But it’s not all good news. The company has also quietly disabled Android Device Manager, the feature that allows users to remotely lock and wipe lost and stolen Android devices.

The Nexus 5, as its name suggests, is the fifth smartphone to be born into the Nexus family, and by far the most powerful. Its 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 1080p display, and 2GB of RAM make it a big improvement over even last year’s Nexus 4.

So how far have Nexus smartphones come since the original HTC-built Nexus One made its debut back in January 2010? Check out the video below for an entertaining speed test between every Nexus smartphone ever built.