Google will stop selling Nexus One in Web store and rely on other merchants instead

Google to sell Nexus One offline, close Web store

SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc. will close an online store that it set up to sell its Nexus One phone and rely on traditional retailers instead.

The shift announced Friday ends Google’s attempt to develop a new sales model for the mobile industry. Google had hoped to shake things up by establishing its online store as the only place to buy the Nexus One, which the company hailed as a “super” phone when it debuted amid fanfare in January.

But consumers didn’t embrace the idea of buying a phone without any hands-on experience.

“As with every innovation, some parts worked better than others,” Andy Rubin, a Google executive overseeing the Nexus One, wrote in a Friday blog post.

Rubin said Google will stop selling the Nexus One in its Web store as soon as it lines up other U.S. retailers to carry the device.

Google hasn’t disclosed how many Nexus One units it has sold so far.

Nexus One is just one of many different smart phones that rely on Google’s free Android operating system.

The alternatives also are proving to be an obstacle for the Nexus One. Two major carriers, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp., recently decided not to support the Nexus One because they prefer other Android-powered phones.