Nexus One Already Hitting Retail Store Shelves

Well, that was fast. Barely a week after Google announced plans to eventually shutter its online retail store for the Nexus One Android phone, the device has appeared for sale elsewhere. Looks like the first place it is available for sale is via i wireless for the hefty sum of $300 with a new T-Mobile contract.The biggest reason Google's online Nexus One retail shop failed was due to the nature of selling a physical good that people couldn't touch, hold, and feel. In fact, Google even said something to the effect of "turns out people like to touch stuff before they buy it" when it announced the online store closure. Google said that when the Nexus One becomes available in enough physical stores, it will close up its shop. The first step in that new direction as been taken by i wireless.

The company recently announced that it will sell the Nexus One at all of its 250 locations, which are sprinkled throughout Iowa, western Illinois, and eastern Nebraska. It turns out, i wireless is a partnership between T-Mobile USA and Iowa Network Services. While these aren't exactly T-Mobile corporate-owned stores, they are the next best thing.

i wireless is offering the Nexus One for $300 after rebates with a new T-Mobile contract. You'll note that this price is significantly higher than the $180 that Google was charging with a new T-Mobile contract. The one decent thing about this price is that i wireless will allow new customers to pick from any calling/data plan. Google required users to get the Even More 500 plan in order to get the $180 price tag.

Considering that consumers will be saddled with a $120 higher cost at the register (not including the rebate), I can't say that this sounds like a step in a positive direction. Also, i wireless has a pretty limited retail footprint. The Nexus One will have to become available at national electronics shops such as Best Buy or Radioshack before Google closes its store. Hopefully those outlets will offer the Nexus One at a more reasonable price.

[Via Engadget]