Ever since Google's failed attempt to sway the American smartphone market to the way of unsubsidized phones, a lot of people have been wondering if they would give it another go. The Nexus One's sales were inches away from a lost cause, and I'm sure they debated scrapping the whole project. Who wouldn't? Eric Schmidt even stated that there would be no Nexus Two and word of the fabled device drew to a mere whisper. Earlier today we received word that there is in fact a Nexus Two device, and this time it is manufactured by none other than...Samsung?
I have had the lingering thought that news of a Nexus Two would eventually make its way back to headlines, but I never imagined Google selecting Samsung to manufacture their "make-or-break" device. The lack of success of the Nexus One was not due to the hardware or the software, but a nation full of people deluded into believing a phone costs $200-$300. A $530 price tag on a phone in a country where nearly everyone one is trained on signing contracts with their carrier just didn't fly well. The Nexus One has always been commended for its excellent build quality and near perfection in design, weight, and looks. The support for FAQs, hacks and mods, and development for the N1 was and is still probably greater than any other Android device out there.
Google making the switch to recent trailblazer, Samsung, baffles me. Don't get me wrong, I have full faith in Samsung, and their devices are great. But when it comes down to it, the ones who have set the standard for build quality and design at this point in the game, for both Windows Phone 7 and Android, is HTC (i.e: G2, Nexus One, EVO 4G, Surround, Desire HD, etc). To me, it seems Samsung focuses more on the display of the device rather than the quality of the other pieces of hardware, and I will give them that. Their Super AMOLED displays are absolutely gorgeous, but the overall designs of their phones seem bland and uninteresting, though of good quality.
Samsung has been rather successful with their Galaxy S line of devices, and the Galaxy Tab has raised quite a stir as well. I can see Google's interest in Samsung being based on their recent success. Maybe Goog just wants to give someone else a chance. Maybe HTC is just overwhelmed with devices at the moment. They did have five of the ten announced Windows Phone 7 devices, all while there are still unreleased Android devices making headway too. Either way, I'm not upset and I'm not calling out Google, and I'm definitely not debunking Samsung. This just came from way out in left field. What do you guys think? Why would Google abandon their deep roots with HTC and go with Samsung for the Nexus Two?
