Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Nexus Two: Breaking Down the Rumors


The rumors are flying about the potential existence of the Nexus Two, the unicorn-like successor to the Google-branded Nexus One smartphone. Is it real though? And why would Google build it?
The rumors apparently derive from a report by City A.M., a London-based daily newspaper. It reports that the Nexus Two will launch before the holidays exclusively on Carphone Warehouse, an independent mobile phone retailer. The report suggests that it will run version 3.0 of the Android operating system, a.k.a. Gingerbread.
Frankly, we’re skeptical of the Google Nexus Two report. While the original Nexus One launched to strong reviews, it was ultimately discontinued due to a failed distribution strategy and poor sales. Google also has a lot of wireless and hardware partners that might be angered with a new Google-branded smartphone stealing the spotlight.
Still, there are a few reasons why Google might take another crack at its own phone, and most of them concern the fragmentation of Android. While the company publicly embraces the fact that there are so many version of its operating system (giving users plenty of options), privately some people inside Google are concerned about Android’s fragmentation. Android continues to grow at a ridiculous pace, but fragmentation can make the experience of using Google’s mobile OS so wildly inconsistent that users eventually become frustrated. At least that’s the argument Apple is making.
We were fans of the Nexus One, and we bet a Nexus Two would be one of the best Android smartphones on the market. Given the history of the Nexus One though, we’re going to label this rumor as unlikely.
Would you buy a Nexus Two?

[via mashable]

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