Google's Nexus One smartphone, based on Android 2.1, is now available from T-Mobile affiliate i wireless for $299.95 at more than 250 retail locations. I wireless is the first of what could be many retailers to offer the Nexus One in a reversal for Google, which began selling the Nexus One Jan. 5 for $179.95 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile or unlocked for $529. That experiment didn't work, so Google has turned to retailers to get the device to consumers.
Google's Nexus One smartphone, the Android 2.1-based device the company
initially offered solely through its Webstore in January, is now at retail
stores in the United States.
But it's not at Best Buy, Radio Shack or the usual consumer electronics
shops. T-Mobile affiliate
i
wireless said it has begun offering the
Nexus
One for $299.95 and a couple other Android devices under the "I Am
Android" marketing slogan.
The Urbandale, Iowa-based retailer is now selling the Nexus One, HTC
Hero ($99.95) and Motorola Milestone ($149.95) through its i wireless Website
and at more than 250 retail locations.
I wireless will also offer the Samsung Behold II, though it's not yet listed
under the
Android section on its Website.
"We are excited to add the most popular Android devices to our complete
lineup of smartphones,"
said
Gary Baron, vice president of marketing at i wireless. "Customers will be
given the option to choose from Motorola, HTC
and Samsung models that best fit their lifestyle."
The retailer promised that T-Mobile customers will be able to access
T-Mobile's 3G network in Des Moines
and Ames, Iowa,
and in more than 130 cities in the United States.
serving over 200 million people.
I wireless pledged to provide 3G service in the Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids,
Waterloo/Cedar Falls and Iowa City markets throughout the summer. The company
also serves eastern Nebraska.
I wireless is the first of what could be many retailers to offer the Nexus
One in a reversal for Google. The search engine and erstwhile mobile phone
provider began selling the Nexus One Jan. 5 for $179.95 with a two-year
contract from T-Mobile or unlocked for $529.
However, Google offered the device only online through its Webstore, a
strategy that backfired when consumers opted to buy phones they could hold in
their hands.
Verizon Wireless and
Sprint both backed out of their commitments to sell the Nexus
One, and Google pointed users to the
HTC Droid Incredible from Verizon and the
HTC Evo 4G from Sprint.
Google May 14
said it miscalculated consumer interest in purchasing the
device through its Webstore.
The company said it would stop selling the smartphone through its Webstore
once it found sufficient placement for the device, which with multitouch
features such as pinch-to-zoom and a 1GHz processor provides a suitable
alternative to Apple's iPhone.
I wireless provides one of those venues for Google to sell the device in United
States.
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