Ah, the Googlephone. It was only a few years ago when enterprising journalists actually dreamed of the possibility that the search engine giant could come up with its own mobile device. Not only has it created the Android operating system, but it launched its own mobile phone, the Nexus One, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week.

Needless to say, the Nexus One is one of the most popular gadgets around. Say what you want about the iPhone, marrying the engineering know-how of Google with the latest in mobile hardware designed by Qualcomm (a recent partner with Abu Dhabi's Globalfoundries) and HTC.

But you can't get it in the UAE. Despite the fact that this country has one of the highest usages of smartphones in the world, neither Etisalat or du nor an electronic retailer have come out with an announcement if and when the Nexus One will be commercially available.

Find out where you can (kinda) get the Nexus One in the UAE after the jump.

To the grey market we go! A quick check at souq.com, the eBay of the Middle East, reveals that there's a few Nexus One units for sale in the UAE. And, sure enough, the phones are unlocked and work fine on either Etisalat and du.

"It works on any SIM card unlocked," said one reseller I spoke with. "It's a good phone compared to the previous Google [Android] phones I've had. It's faster than those because it has a faster Qualcomm chip in it."

Getting the device in the country took a bit of entrepreneurship. Since the Nexus One is available from Google but only to addresses in the US, UK or Singapore, one has to ship it from there, through customs (on concealed in your luggage) and resold here.

Despite Google selling the Nexus One without a wireless service contract for $529 (Dh1,979), you can expect to pay up to Dh2,900 for a chance to own the device.

We're going to keep staying on this story for a while. Once the Nexus One does make it to the UAE, you can expect to read it here first.

(Photo credit: The Nexus One by Google. Paul J. Richards / AFP)