Google buries Nexus One

Last week, Google received its last shipment of the ill fated Nexus One device. When this batch sells out, the device will no longer be available from Google.

The web giant closed its online retail store for the Nexus One earlier this year, when the shopfront did less business than expected. But Google’s first foray into the own branded handset space has been something of a lacklustre experience from start to finish as the first ‘Google phone’ was quickly eclipsed by better Android-based devices.

That’s not to say this is the end of the Nexus One however. With the absence of another Google-backed initiative to take its place Google will still be offering the device to developers via the Android Market, while operator partners including Vodafone in Europe and KT in Korea will continue to offer the device “based on local market conditions”. There was no mention of T-Mobile USA, the first carrier to back the device.

Last week, during the company’s second quarter results conference call, Jonathan Rosenberg, senior vice president of product management for Google, revealed that search grew 300 per cent on Android phones through the first half of 2010, with related advertising giving the firm a significant return on its investment.