After getting snubbed by Verizon Wireless, Google’s Nexus One is also getting the cold shoulder from Sprint Nextel. The Android-powered “superphone” won’t find a home at the CDMA-based carrier after all.
Like Verizon, Sprint had pledged to carry the Nexus One on its network. But the company backed out of its March promise and has decided to run with the soon-to-be-released HTC EVO 4G instead.
Verizon also opted for a different Android device for its CDMA network: the HTC Incredible, which has met with rave reviews in the wireless marketplace and is now Verizon’s flagship smartphone. That means the Google Nexus One can only run on GSM networks from AT&T and T-Mobile. Consumers can also buy an unlocked version of the device for $529.
No Surprise
Given the velocity at which the wireless market is moving, analysts aren’t surprised that smartphones announced in January — and that haven’t come to market by May — aren’t finding a warm welcome from wireless carriers who can pick and choose from other devices that have the same or arguably better functionality.
“If you are Verizon, you have the HTC Incredible. If you are Sprint, you have the EVO 4G. You don’t really need a Nexus One in your lineup. It’s not offering anything for the most part that those other devices aren’t doing and doing better,” said Michael Gartenberg, a partner at Altimeter Group. “It might confuse your customer base and you can focus on your brand as opposed to Google’s brand.”
Gartenberg noted that even AT&T and T-Mobile aren’t selling the Nexus One directly. Google sells versions that work on those networks directly to consumers through its own e-commerce platform, and Gartenberg sees no great loss for consumers. Consumers who want a Nexus One can buy it and get service on AT&T and T-Mobile, he said,…