Verizon Wireless customers waiting for the Nexus One should probably make other plans, as it looks like Big Red’s version of the Google “superphone” will never see the light of day.
When the Nexus One was first announced in January, Google revealed that a Verizon model would be made available later this year. However, on Monday, Google posted an entry on its official Nexus One blog site recommending that users head over to Verizon’s site and preorder the HTC Droid Incredible instead. The official checkout page for the N1 shows a similar message.
While Google has not responded to our request for comment, the Boy Genius Report has published an official statement from the company:
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, which can be preordered now and which will be available in Verizon Wireless stores on Thursday, April 29.
For the record, Verizon’s official statement to us was “It’s Google’s phone and Google’s decision.”
We can understand the move, given that the Droid Incredible offers a number advantages (more memory, better camera, HTC Sense) over the Nexus One and seems like the better smartphone, but what does this mean for Google’s strategy of selling unlocked devices through its own Web store? With Vodafone UK also announcing that it will begin selling the Nexus One in its U.K. stores and online, it seems Google’s plans to change the way the mobile industry operates may need some reworking after all.
