NTCA's The New Edge » Nexus One

Goodbye Nexus One

Kevin McGuire — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:13:40 +0000

Google’s Nexus One has been one roller coaster of a ride. You’ll remember from the initial announcement, confirmed earlier this year, that Google had intended to sell the N1 directly to consumers, bypassing the pesky issue of dealing with carriers. Then in April, Google announced that the N1 won’t be coming to Verizon. Now we can say goodbye to the N1 saga, at least here in the U.S. Here’s what Google had to say:

Earlier this year, we announced that we will be closing the Nexus One web store. This week we received our last shipment of Nexus One phones. Once we sell these devices, the Nexus One will no longer be available online from Google. Customer support will still be available for current Nexus One customers. And Nexus One will continue to be sold by partners including Vodafone in Europe, KT in Korea, and possibly others based on local market conditions.

So there you have it. I suspect the next announcement will be the complete end to the N1, in all countries. Methinks that Google will focus on their core competencies and abandon hardware altogether. Given the success of the iPad, I’d be shocked if they didn’t devote more resources to their Chrome OS product.

Verizon’s Nexus One Dead?

Kevin McGuire — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:29:30 +0000

In January, Google confirmed the arrival of its highly anticipated phone, the Nexus One. Available on T-Mobile initially, then on Verizon this spring, the Android based device was Google’s first foray into selling its own device, rather than just its OS. It was a dramatic shift from Google as software to Google as hardware, and techies were split as to if this was a good thing for the industry.

Popular tech blog Engadget is reporting that Verizon will not be getting the Nexus One. In a recent post, they say, “We just heard back from Google — the Verizon Nexus One is dead; long live the Incredible.” Google’s official statement:

We won’t be selling a Nexus One with Verizon, and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem. Verizon Wireless customers who want an Android phone with the power of the Nexus One can get the Droid Incredible by HTC.

So what does this mean? Except for the fact that Verizon will not be getting a Nexus One, it’s anyone’s guess. When I first read the story, I thought that maybe Google was getting out of the hardware business. But according to the Nexus One site, Vodafone is now accepting pre-orders for the device, and it still looks to be available for T-Mobile. Perhaps there were contract negotiations that broke down, but Verizon is still offering the Incredible. I’ll take a chance and suggest that the US cellular market is now saturated, as clearly shown in recent earnings releases. Verizon netted only 423,000 wireless customers under contract in the first quarter, the lowest number in nearly a decade, and far below expectations. AT&T did better, but still just north of 500,000 subs. Since all eyes are on Google, they don’t want to out of the gate with lackluster sales. Given that both the Nexus One and Incredible are manufactured by HTC, why have the two compete with each other in this very mature market?

But then again, maybe it was because they couldn’t fix the 3G coverage issues. In a support forum posting on April 21st, a Google Employee states:

Hey guys,

I’ve seen some recent speculation on this thread about an OTA to improve 3G connectivity and I want to give you an update on the situation. While we are continuing to monitor user feedback regarding the 3G performance on the Nexus One, we are no longer investigating further engineering improvements at this time. If you are still experiencing 3G issues, we recommend that you try changing your location or even the orientation of your phone, as this may help in areas with weaker coverage.

I mean, really? Read the next several pages of the forum for a lesson in what poor customer service will get you. I’m thinking there’s more to come on this story.

Report: Google to Sell Android Smartphone to Public

Jesse Ward — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:16:57 +0000

Google plans to begin selling an Android-based smartphone directly to consumers as early as next month, according to published reports in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Sources familiar with the matter say the phone will be based on GSM technology, and that the device, manufactured by the Taiwanese company HTC, is thinner than Apple’s iPhone, with a slightly larger touch screen. It is named Nexus One, according to various reports and digital traces that the phones have been leaving on Web sites.

The move is reportedly designed to offer Google the flexibility to distribute its own voice and data services without adhering to typical carrier restrictions.

Needless to say, if the rumor comes to fruition it could shake up the fundamentals of the cellphone market in the United States, where most phones are sold and subsidized by an individual wireless carrier, and designed to work only on its network.

Google confirmed Saturday that it is trialing a new mobile product: “We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe,” writes Google product management vice president Mario Queiroz on the Official Google Mobile Blog. “This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.”

The New York Times has the full story.
Google’s blog mentions the trial.
Engadget has photos of the device.