Google's first home-grown smartphone, the Nexus One,
hit the ground running last week, delivering not only a new update to its Android operating system but a whole new marketing model that leaves the networks out in the cold. The internet giant was sitting on a throne of gold and silicon.
It seems that it's not been a particularly smooth ride, however. One of the things that Google clearly didn't factor into its new sales model for the Nexus One - which must be bought through Google's own store front rather than through a network, as all other phones are - is dealing with complaints.
According to a report on
PCWorld, Google's support forums are on fire with customers looking for support for their new Nexus One, but unable to find it. Normally the network (
Vodafone, here in the UK) would be fielding such complaints, but quite understandably people are going back to the place they bought the device to solve their issues, which is evidently unprepared.
The networks are apparently turning customers back toward Google for support (and why wouldn't they?), which is currently only offer email contact with a 48 hour turnaround on replies - far too long, from what disgruntled Nexus One owners
are saying.
And the complaints don't stop there. Beleaguered Android developers are voicing their annoyance that end users have received the 2.1 version of the operating system before they did, with no SDK having been released as yet.
This means devs are unable to test their software against the latest update without buying a Nexus One, and this is already proving an issue with developers
receiving complaints that their software is having issues on Android 2.1 - and they're unable even to test it.
It's appearing more and more likely that Google rushed to market a little with the Nexus One that, despite being s
olid and impressive hardware, doesn't have the infrastructure in place to back up its launch.
