Andy Rubin says Google Nexus One was too ambitious

Andy Rubin, head of the Android team at Google, admitted that the Google Nexus One was too ambitious even for Google. Rubin was quoted as saying that the web search giant “bit off a little more than we could chew". Google started selling the phone independently through a dedicated website, which meant that users could get an unlocked device giving them the freedom to choose their carrier. This sales model is widely popular in Europe, but it seems that sales proved to consume much more efforts for Google and the company closed the website in May.

Rubin stressed that the main issue affecting sales of the Nexus One was scale. The Mountain View company had to manage phone numbers, credit checks and more, and with some 150 carriers across the globe this consumed much more resources than the company could allow with the development of Android going along. The Google VP also noted that the Nexus S keeps a part of the idea of selling independently of carriers, however it chose a different distribution channel. In the U.S., the curvy model will be offered through Best Buy for a hefty $529 if unlocked, or $199 when tied to a 2-year agreement with T-Mobile.

However when asked about the main focus of his work – Android – Rubin was optimistic about the general state of the platform and commented: “I think we're doing pretty well.” The platform started just two years ago on the T-Mo branded HTC G1 to reach a span of 172 phones now. Check out our overview of the novelties presented by Rubin just yesterday.

source: Yahoo! News