Nexus One launch: Failure or Next Step in Google's Path to Mobile Dominance?

Last week marked the launch of Nexus One (Nexus One site), Google’s newest touch phone. I am curious what my Fluther-ites think. Was their launch successful or do you feel like they missed the bar on this?

The next bit is my opinion on the matter. Feel free to skip…

Initially I thought the phone was really pretty cool, possibly the best contender to iPhone yet. I was impressed with the fact that they included the option to purchase it unlocked, something that I haven’t seen before (at least not in the States). It wasn’t until I found out that they hid charges from T-Mobile users. This information was not made easily available to T-Mobile users (link) which ultimately caused a lot of disappointment.

What finally put the nail in the coffin of this launch imho, was the fact that they are only selling the phone online and not allowing T-Mobile customers to make in store purchases. This to me is just dumb, I mean no one likes waiting in lines, but it definitely adds an element of excitement and publicity to see a line around the block of salivating geeks waiting to get the latest & greatest phone. The passed up on free publicity which is why the peak of their launch only barely hit iPhones average daily level buzz online (Google Trends).