【英语科技】谷歌手机尝试失败 将在美停售Nexus One

The Nexus One smartphone that Google Inc. designed and brought to market will soon be discontinued in the U.S., as missteps and weak demand foiled the Internet company's attempt to shake up the way wireless phones are distributed.

Google wouldn't say how many Nexus phones it has sold. But it says it has received its last shipment of Nexus One phones, which are touchscreen devices that carry Google's brand and are powered by Google's Android operating system. In May, Google said it would shutter its Web store selling the handset once supplies were exhausted.

The Nexus One's demise stands in contrast with other phones running Google's Android software. Demand for Motorola Inc.'s new Droid X has outstripped inventory in Verizon Wireless stores. The phone, which went on sale last week, is backordered to July 27.

Nexus One, released in January, was seen as a bold experiment by Google to sell phones directly to consumers over the Web -- with or without a cellphone contract. It failed amid poor sales and complaints about customer service.

Executives at major carriers say the Nexus One didn't sell very well. Verizon Wireless considered carrying the phone, but backed out this spring after poor results with T-Mobile USA, Google's original service provider for the Nexus One.

'T-Mobile went out with it, and it didn't do particularly well,' Verizon Wireless Chief Executive Lowell McAdam said in an interview in May. 'Clearly, the reception they got with the T-Mobile offer wasn't what they thought it would be.'

Despite the pending end to Nexus One, Google's Android software has continued to gain steam. In May, Android accounted for 13% of U.S. smartphone users, compared with 9% in February and 24.4% for Apple Inc., according to comScore.

Sales of the Nexus One were crimped by Google's insistence on selling it only through its website, said Jason MacKenzie, vice president of North America at HTC Corp., which manufacturers the device.

'Would we have sold a lot more through brick and mortar stores and traditional carrier distribution?' he said. 'There's no question.'

A Google spokeswoman had no immediate comment on why the device had failed to catch on or how many units were sold. She said Google's aim was to try new features on smartphones and drive the adoption of Android.

谷歌公司(Google Inc.)设计和销售的智能手机Nexus One很快将在美国停售。公司自身的失误和需求的疲弱，让这家互联网企业革新手机经销方式的尝试归于失败。

谷歌拒绝透露已销售多少部Nexus One手机，但它说已收到最后一批厂家发货。Nexus One为触屏手机，贴有谷歌品牌，安装谷歌的Android操作系统。谷歌在5月份说，一伺供货售完，它就会关掉销售这款手机的网上商店。

European Pressphoto Agency宏达国际CEO周永明在Nexus One今年1月首次亮相时手持这款手机。Nexus One之死与其他Android手机的命运形成鲜明对比。摩托罗拉(Motorola Inc.)新款Droid X手机的需求，已经超出了运营商Verizon Wireless专卖店里的存货数量。Droid X上周开卖，但交货要延期到7月27日。

Nexus One是在今年1月份发布的，被视为谷歌通过网络直接向消费者销售手机（有的含话费套餐，有的不含）的一个大胆试验。由于销量不佳，客户服务频遭投诉，这次试验未能成功。

主要运营商的高管说，Nexus One卖得不是很好。Verizon Wireless曾考虑采用这部手机作为它的终端，但在今春放弃，原因是看到Nexus One最开始的服务提供商T-Mobile USA业绩惨淡。

Verizon Wireless首席执行长麦克亚当(Lowell McAdam)在5月份接受采访说，T-Mobile采用了它，表现不是特别好，显然，用户对这款手机加T-Mobile套餐的接受程度，并没有达到他们的预想。

虽然Nexus One即将寿终正寝，但谷歌的Android操作系统仍在发力。信息提供商comScore 数据显示，5月份，Android系统在美国智能手机用户中占据13%，2月份为9%；苹果(Apple Inc.)占据24.4%。

Nexus One生产商宏达国际(HTC Corp.)负责北美业务的副总裁迈克肯兹(Jason MacKenzie)说，谷歌坚持只通过它的网站销售，压制了Nexus One的销量。

他说，通过实体店和传统的运营商分销渠道，我们会不会卖得更多？这是没有疑问的。

对于这部手机为何没有流行起来，以及一共有多少部已经售出的问题，谷歌一位发言人没有立即置评。她说，谷歌的目的是尝试在智能手机上推出新功能，并推动Android系统的采用。