No Verizon Partnership For Google's Nexus One 206
starglider29a writes with news that Google and Verizon Wireless have abandoned plans for a partnership that would bring the Nexus One to the carrier's network. "Without a Verizon partnership, Google loses access to the carrier's more than 90 million customers, potentially blocking the phone from gaining more widespread popularity. The breakdown of the deal signals Verizon may view Google as a competitor rather than a partner when it comes to Nexus One sales, which are probably at less than half a million since the phone's January debut, said BGC Partners's Colin Gillis." A Google spokesman said, "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." In a brief blog post, Google recommends a similar, Android-based phone from HTC for customers who want Verizon service.
Re:No shock there... (Score:4, Interesting)
Is HTC's UI really a plus? I didn't try it, but I think I trust google more than HTC (or motorola) to design an interface and support it for the future with updates.
HTC's interface is, surprisingly, much more fluid than Google's. A Droid Incredible (in my limited time with one) feels as smooth as an iPhone. The N1 doesn't...DROID DOES>?!
Re:half a million? (Score:1, Interesting)
Steve Jobs has been quaking like a motherfucker (and not in the fun way) if the reports of his Google tantrums are true...
I don't think it's the competition that caused Jobs's tantrums, it was his feeling of being betrayed by Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, who sat on Apple's board throughout the development of the iPhone then went on to develop an competing device. Being invited to sit on the BoD of any company is a sign of respect and trust; using knowledge gained from the position to turn around and compete with the company who's board you're sitting on is ethically questionable to say the least. Schmidt didn't break any laws, but what he did does somewhat belie Google's "Don't Be Evil" catchphrase.
Shhh.....don't look now...... (Score:4, Interesting)
You know, there is another CDMA based major network carrier out there for the nexus one. One that doesn't care about using forcible sodomy to invoke tethering charges. One that could really stand to make a splash in the handset market, since the Palm Pre hasn't exactly set the world on fire.
Can we maybe mention Sprint [google.com] (and their current begging for a jumpstart stock price as the link shows) as a player? Sure, their network is closer to AT&T's that Verizon's in terms of quality (or lack thereof), but they're still alive and kicking. As a former Sprint customer, I can say with certainty that they're network is utter shit. However, if Verizon gets too complacent, they could well be staring down competition from a company that will gladly whore itself out to any handset maker that can give them back even a sliver of market share.
Re:No shock there... (Score:2, Interesting)
Oh, you unenlightened person. N1 actually has the 802.11n chip inside it. It connects to 802.11n routers using 802.11n but only over 2.4GHz frequency. Still mine gets 150mbps router to phone. Was that news for you?
Oh you poor brainwashed person, do you really think that the carriers actually sell it to you at $99? Noooo.... They sell it to you at something over $2000. Once you calculate the TCO of the damn device.
Re:half a million? (Score:3, Interesting)
You've got to be kidding me. Because he sat on the board in the past he's never allowed to build a competing device? What kind of twisted logic is that? Unless you're drinking the cool-aid enough to believe they violated Apple's IP, which from what I can tell is pretty ridiculous. Do you think he used insider information while on the board to design the product? The Android platform came out several years after iPhone, so I'm not seeing a big advantage here. No evil in my book, at least not for this.
The goal, although you can certainly argue that they haven't achieved it to a significant level with their current devices, is to build a mobile device platform that is more open than existing platforms. I care about that to some degree, but what attracts me much more to the Android platform over Apple (will be coming from WM, not iPhone) is the wider array of hardware options (HW KB, etc.), the ability to exchange the battery, and the ability to exchange memory cards. The battery issue is pretty much a deal-breaker for me, and I know you can get external batteries but that's just not a very good option to me. The memory issue is slightly less of a big deal, but right now, I love being able to carry a tiny micro-SD USB adapter on my key chain such that if I want to quickly get music, pictures, PDF's, etc on my phone, I don't need to have a cable.
Plus, when I'm in the airport, I have a huge issue now finding a plug for my laptop. Why? I'd say 75% of the plugs are taken up by teenagers and twenty-somethings (maybe the occasional old fart) charging their iPhones on layovers, etc. I travel with two spare batteries for my phone, and two for my notebook. The reason I need two notebook batteries is that I can't depend on being able to plug it in anymore. (Obligatory "get off my lawn" comment here, if you wish).
Re:A big flop (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Open? (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually, I've come to the conclusion that they want Nexus one to fill a specific niche and to set a bar for the quality of what they expect out of other manufacturers, but they are not trying to actually take over the world or to really make a lot of money with it. The whole point of it is to inspire HTC and other vendors to come out with *better* phones than the N1 which sell *more* and therefore raise the quality of the whole ecosystem. If the N1 turns out to be just a minority player because all the other android phones are better then I think Google will consider it a success.