When Google unveiled the Nexus One early last year, it was clearly the best Android smart phone on the market. It’s hard to make the same claim about the Nexus S, the second device in the series, which hit store shelves last month.
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Partly that’s because the Android market has developed over the past year. When Google launched the Nexus One, only a handful of devices ran Android, Google’s smart-phone operating system. And ATT, the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier, didn’t offer Android phones.
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Nexus One was created as a flagship device to demonstrate to consumers and manufacturers the potential of Android. Google teamed with device manufacturer HTC to pack a speedy new processor, the latest version of Android and a refined user interface into a sleek new design.
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Google also attempted to shake up the broader cell phone industry by selling the Nexus One directly to consumers at its full price rather than the discounted price that carriers offer to entice consumers to sign a two-year contract.
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That effort failed, and the Nexus One sold only modestly. But the device succeeded wildly in spurring innovation on Android. Within months, device manufacturers and wireless carriers were offering a wide range of Android-based devices, many sporting technical specifications equal to or surpassing those of the Nexus One.
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The Nexus S seems unlikely to have a similar impact. Manufactured by Samsung, it is decidedly less ambitious than the Nexus One.
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Gone is the attempt to shake up the cell phone industry. The Nexus S is being sold through Best Buy, not directly by Google. And while you can get it without a contract, Best Buy is promoting it with a discounted price that comes with a two-year deal with T-Mobile.
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Gone too is a serious attempt to set a new bar for Android. Yes, the Nexus S includes a fast…