Google has not yet set a date for the sale of its first mobile phone outside the restricted circle of countries that can order the Nexus One since January, but in Portugal it is already possible to buy the device that debuts Android 2.1 and the giant’s strategy the Internet in the direct sale of these terminals.
Just yesterday, TeK was making the rounds for the options of Android phones for sale in Portugal, referring to the official information that the Nexus One would only arrive sometime during spring, but some alerts from readers led to a survey on the existence of terminals already on sale.
And it is true that you can find Google phones for sale not only online, through Expansys, but also in some consumer electronics stores, such as FNAC, Worten and Mediamarket. The situation appears, moreover, to be common to several countries in Europe.
In common, all stores have the fact that the offer is limited and with prices well above those practiced in direct sales by Google. But there is still demand and in some cases the stock has already run out.
FNAC, which offered the terminal for sale in some stores at 799 euros, no longer has the product in stock and – according to customer support information – is not considering replacing it. At Mediamarket there are still equipment for sale, but it is not possible to confirm the total number of units since each store manages its own stock and also the prices, which may vary.
Worten also has the Nexus One for sale, but in limited numbers, and the company did not want to answer TeK’s questions about availability, the guarantee given to customers in the event of a breakdown and how it managed to market the terminal in Luso territory. The same policy adopted by FNAC, which has not yet answered the questions we asked.
Online you can also buy the Google terminal, through the Expansys website, a store with a presence in several countries. The information is all detailed on the product page, where it says that it costs 644.99 euros, that there are more than 50 terminals in stock and that the Nexus One has been available since February 9, 2010.
From the customer support line, they guarantee that delivery is made in 3 working days and also told TeK that “there are many sales to Portugal”, since this was a long awaited product.
The first mobile phone from Google has been on sale since January, with an innovative model of direct sales through the website, free of operator, but for now only for customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The terminal is always sold unlocked, and can be purchased for $ 529, free of operator, or associated with the T-Mobile network, with loyalty plans for tariffs that lower the cost of the terminal to $ 179, but only in the United States .
The prices practiced in Portugal by the various stores therefore represent a significant “premium” in the price, even if Google follows the strategy of some brands that maintain the values ​​practiced in the United States despite the difference in the cost of the currency. If so, the Nexus One can cost 529 euros in Europe, which means that anyone who buys at Expansys pays another 120 euros and at FNAC the total would be another 270 euros.
But the costs may not stop here. Contacted by TeK in the face of this situation, Google says that “it declines any type of responsibilities – prices, tariffs, or others – for Nexus One purchased outside the Google online store”. And he recalls that at the moment, he is only accepting orders from consumers in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong, sending the Nexus One to Europe again in the spring.
It remains to be explained how the stores had access to the equipment, since supposedly in T-Mobile stores it is mandatory to join the network of the US operator and online, Google’s marketing conditions are not limited in the number of units sold. but clearly state that the terminals cannot be resold.
Fatima Hunter
