Google said Tuesday that the Nexus 4 Android smartphone will be for sale once again in the Google Play Store beginning at 12 p.m. Pacific / 3 p.m. Eastern. The device has been out of stock since November 13, the first day it became available for sale in the U.S.
The Nexus 4's launch has been a bit of a debacle for Google. The device hit the Google Play Store two weeks ago and strong demand quickly overwhelmed Google's services. Many were unsuccessful in placing orders for the Nexus 4 before Google ran out of stock.
The Nexus 4 is also available from T-Mobile USA, and went on sale November 14. Google began directing people interested in the Nexus 4 from its Web store to T-Mobile's. Hours later, T-Mobile sold out of Nexus 4s as well.
Google had been mum on when the device would return to the Google Play Store. Get your mouse and credit card ready: demand for this second wave of Nexus 4s is sure to be high. To purchase it, click here once it goes on sale.
[ Are employee-owned devices putting your business data at risk? Read 6 Risks Your BYOD Policy Must Address. ]
Google began delivering the device to the first wave of successful purchasers in the days before Thanksgiving.
The Nexus 4 runs a clean version of Android. In the Nexus 4's case, that means Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Nexus devices are free of carrier and manufacturer bloatware. They are also the first devices to receive major and minor system updates and features from Google throughout the year. In other words, if you want to be on the cutting edge of all things Android, the latest Nexus is the device you want.
The Nexus 4 is being sold for an incredibly low price: The 8-GB model costs $299 and the 16-GB model costs $349. These are the prices to own the device outright, which is being sold unlocked and without a carrier contract. That means the Nexus 4 can be used on most any GSM-based network.
In the U.S., it is compatible with AT&T's and T-Mobile's 2G/3G networks, which includes their fastest HSPA+ mobile broadband. While HSPA+ is fast, however, LTE is much faster. The Nexus 4 lacks official LTE support for any network (though it does have an LTE radio on board).
Features of the Nexus 4 include a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 pixel display, 1.5-GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 2 GB of RAM, 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and wireless charging.
