Although Google announced only last month that Sprint would carry its Nexus One phone, the carrier has since retracted from that plan.
Gizmodo reports that the carrier will instead focus its efforts on the upcoming HTC EVO 4G it will be launching this summer. Both devices are Android phones, but the EVO is arguably more full-featured and will take advantage of Sprint’s 4G network — the next-generation cellular service that will be more akin to true mobile broadband with faster speeds than current 3G networks.
This comes as a one-two blow to Google, considering Verizon also recently opted out of carrying the Nexus One. The other major U.S. CDMA carrier will in turn be focusing on its Droid Incredible handset as its flagship Android model.
In other words, Google loses but it also wins: The Nexus One just didn’t take off the way the search giant hoped, but on the other hand it’s really only losing out to other phones running Google Android. Considering how well Android itself is doing these days — even besting the iPhone in sales figures last quarter — the blow to Google over the Nexus One disappointment is not a hard one.
How do you think the Nexus One stacks up against the other Android phones available right now? Are Sprint and Verizon right in backing other handsets in its stead?