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Google (GOOG) introduced its long-awaited touch-screen phone, called the Nexus One, yesterday. The New York Times reports that the phone began selling “exclusively through a new online store” yesterday. The paper says: “Consumers will be able to buy the Nexus One for $529 unlocked or for $179 with a two-year calling plan from T-Mobile. Google said that the Nexus One would be available on Verizon [VZ] Wireless in the United States and on Vodafone in Europe later this year. It said it hoped to add other devices and carriers to the direct-to-consumer program in the future.” Tech buffs seem somewhat impressed by the phone’s capabilities, but not blown away. One analyst told the paper, “It is more evolutionary than revolutionary.” David Pogue of the NYT agrees. He writes that the phone is “pretty sweet,” but says that at the same time, “the Google news this week isn’t quite as earthshaking as Google seems to think it is.” Still, the WSJ points out that “because it will be available on the large, well-regarded Verizon 3G network, the Nexus One could tempt American iPhone users, tired of problems with AT&T [ATT], to switch.”

And an update about another anticipated release: The Wall Street Journal reports that the Apple (AAPL) tablet won’t be shipped out in March, even though the company will reveal the device in a few weeks. The paper sums up speculations about what to expect: “The tablet is expected to be a multimedia device that will let people watch movies and television shows, play games, surf the Internet and read electronic books and newspapers. Though companies like Toshiba Corp. and Hewlett-Packard [HPQ] have introduced Windows-based tablet computers before and Amazon.com [AMZN], and others sell similarly-sized digital-book readers, people briefed by Apple say the company intends to carve out a new product category.”

Warren Buffett is speaking out about Kraft’s (KFT) plans to eat up Cadbury. And as Kraft’s largest shareholder and someone who is well-known for wise investing, Buffett is sure to be heard. According to Bloomberg, “Buffett, who has said shareholders need to act like owners, is calling for caution in negotiations after Cadbury said Kraft’s offer was insufficient.” This isn’t the first time he has worked to undermine a merger. The article explains, “Buffett was the most vocal dissenter on Coca-Cola’s (KO) board when directors met in 2000 to discuss a $15.3 billion bid for Quaker Oats, the maker of Gatorade, Cap’n Crunch cereal and Rice-A-Roni.”

The Wall Street Journal reports on the final figures for December holiday retail sales. While clothing sales for the month were a weak spot, sales of electronics were better than expected. Still, overall, an analyst calls this past season “healthier” than last. The paper says, “Clothing stores discounted less and sold fewer items last month than a year ago, a combination that undercut sales but likely will translate into higher fourth-quarter profits, according to figures released Tuesday.” Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports on auto sales for the month, which were similarly good-but-not-great. The paper says, “In December, the annualized rate of auto sales in the United States climbed to 11.2 million, according to Edmunds.com. That’s up from 9.1 million at the nadir earlier last year but far from the halcyon days when auto sales ran over 16 million annually.” And one last economic indicator for the day: The New York Times reports that real estate could be slipping back into a slump. The lead story in the business section says: “The number of houses placed under contract fell sharply in November in the first drop in nearly a year, figures released Tuesday show. It was the clearest sign yet that predictions of another downturn in real estate may become a reality.”

Finally, there’s a “3-D television turf war” heating up in the U.S., according to today’s New York Times The paper has a run-down of upcoming rollouts: “Anticipating this coming wave, ESPN said Tuesday that it would show World Cup soccer matches and N.B.A. games in 3-D on a new network starting in June, and Discovery [DISCA], Imax [IMAX] and Sony [SNE] said they would jointly create a 3-D entertainment channel next year. The satellite service DirecTV [DTV] is expected to announce its own 3-D channels at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where every major television manufacturer is planning to announce 3-D televisions and compatible Blu-ray DVD players on Wednesday.”