Google Nexus One Phone like iPhone but not in retail approach

The Google Nexus One Phone was released this week of CES 2010 and to rave reviews. At CES, many are touting it as an iPhone killer, and TechCrunch Michael Arrington (who's tech start-up award event called "The Crunchies" is tonight), wrote that he uses the Google Nexus One Phone (or "G-phone") as his main mobile phone, having switched from Apple's iPhone.

The Google Nexus One Phone looks like the IPhone and operates in ways that are not far removed from the iPhone. It's a sleek, elegant, even sexy design that is worthy of the considerable buzz it's caused. It's a welcome addition to the smartphone market and promises to give the iPhone a challenger. But there's one thing that could hold it back: it's online-retail only availability.

When the iPhone was introduced in 2007, part of the considerable rush to buy one came from seeing long lines of people at Apple Stores and AT&T retail outlets. TV news cameras captured the event, and happy video-blogging buyers made videos that showed then tearing open the box to show their new iPhone tech toy. The result has been a number of "iPhone unboxing" videos, like this one:



The live-action, ground level, want-it-so-buy-it retail strategy was Apple's genius. With Google's desire to challenge the iPhone, it would seem logical to mimic such an approach.

Google didn't and this is a big mistake.

The Google Nexus One Phone, as of this writing, is available only online. The desire to obtain one by walking down to the local T-Mobile store was blunted by the fact that they're not there. Because of that decision, legions of G-Phone fans that would be walking down the street with their proud new device, aren't. They're waiting for the Google Nexus Phone to be shipped to them.

While not aligning the Google Nexus Phone to one network, as Apple did with AT&T, was a great move, restricting purchases to online-only status as of this writing is a marketing error that actually kills the G-Phone buzz.

If Google wants the Google Nexus Phone to supplant the iPhone as the smartphone king, it should change its retail strategy. The sooner the better, so I can satisfy my desire to have one.

Stay tuned.