Nexus One resuscitated as 'Pure Google Nexus S'
S stands for 'I'm not dead. Really'
Rumors of a Google Nexus One resurrection refuse to die.
On Thursday, as noticed by Phandroid, US electronics retailer Best Buy published a page to its website indicating it will soon offer a "Pure Google" phone known as the "Nexus S." The thought of Pure Googleness gives us the willies. But some people find it very comforting:
Asked to comment, a company spokesman told The Reg: "We don't comment on rumor or speculation." And Best Buy has now taken the page down. But it appears that like the ill-fated Nexus One, this Nexus S contraption will venture into the world without the sort of custom UI applied to Android phones by manufacturers such as Motorola, HTC, and Samsung. The Nexus One was dubbed a "Google Experience Phone." This is a small thing. But quite important to some.
It also appears that the Nexus S will be offered with service from fourth-place wireless carrier and noted Google BFF T-Mobile. That's the extent of the rumor. And don't expect much more when the device actually arrives. It may share a name with the Nexus One. It may offer a "vanilla" incarnation of Android. But what made the Nexus One the Nexus One was that it was sold from Google's very own webstore. It was an attempt to route around traditional phone channels, and it failed — presumably because existing Android partners such as Motorola and Verzion fought the idea.
The Nexus S rumor joins rumors of a Nexus Two, which lives on despite death by Eric Schmidt. And no doubt some other Nexus rumor will join it. ®
COMMENTS
Wuhh?
"But what made the Nexus One the Nexus One was that it was sold from Google's very own webstore."
No... what made the Nexus One the Nexus One was, y'know, the Nexus One. The phone. The hardware, which was pretty much the best handset out there at launch. And the software, which is still updated more regularly than any other phone out there.
We'll have to see whether the same will apply to the Nexus S, but Cade's insistence (in every article) that the Nexus One was a failure is getting boring. The web store was a failure. The phone itself was critically lauded, and I'm yet to meet someone who owns one that dislikes it. There's plenty to criticise about Google- how about we choose something valid next time?
WTF!
"But what made the Nexus One the Nexus One was that it was sold from Google's very own webstore."
Absolute bollocks! Garbage reporting at its very best. As somebody else pointed out what made the Nexus One the Nexus One were the cutting edge specs (at launch), the quality of the product, the openess of the handset o/s and the frequency of the updates. Furthermore in the UK the handset was sold by at least one operator and continues to do so.
Cade - STFU or go work for Rupert Murdoch & News Corp....
Paris - coz she doesn't know what she's talking about either :-)
"This is a small thing. But quite important to some."
To hazard a guess I would suggest that a phone unencumbered by manufacturer/telco "improvements" is not reliant on said manufacturer/telco for its updates.
Re: I owned it and hated it
I see that you are the same person who moaned about lag on your Hero, even though HTC had fixed that issue with a firmware update months before.
You seem to make a habit of buying Android phones just so you can slag them off and say how great the iPhone is in comparison. Do you work for Apple, or are you just a slow learner?
I thought I was the only person to love my N1
Poor marketing was it's downfall. Technically, it's great and I'm not locked in to an operator who bastardises making it less usable.
Oh, it satisfies my inner Linux geek as well.
I'm looking forward to Gingerbread.
