Free Nexus One for TED attendees
By Dean • Feb 12th, 2010 • Category: HTC- Photo: HTC
In a move reaffirming their commitment to Android, Google has given free Nexus One phones to all TED attendees. The Nexus One, a joint venture between Google and HTC, is the latest in the line of mobile phones being developed for the Android platform. Google hopes those in attendance at TED can reaffirm the company’s belief in the platform, as well as get their friends to buy it.
The gathering of the smartest
- Photo: HTC
TED, whose slogan is ‘Ideas worth spreading’, is an annual conference that happens in major cities around the world, attracting the brightest minds on the planet. People like Richard Branson, Jamie Oliver and Bill Clinton have given presentations and executives from the world’s biggest companies like Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon are regular attendees.
The Perfect audience
In this regard, the move was a stroke of genius. Google realises that TED is possibly the highest concentration of the most intelligent and influential people on the planet, and if their Android device is as good as Google clearly believes it is, the Nexus One giveaway could turn out to be Google’s greatest marketing move. The company, whose fortunes in Internet search were built nearly exclusively on word of mouth, looks to replicate this success with their Android platform and Nexus One handset.
Nexus One and Android
A great deal of buzz surrounded the Nexus One on its initial arrival. Virtually every phone developed for Android or by Blackberry is immediately compared to the iPhone, and the Nexus One was no different. The question surrounding the Nexus One before and after its launch was whether or not it was an ‘iPhone killer’, and the general feeling in tech circles is that it is the closest thing to competing with the iPhone.
Much to the Android team’s dismay, sales have been off to a slow start with a mere 20 000 units sold in its first week. Google, however, hope they have a slow-burning success on their hands and their word-of-mouth focus will ensure this.
Tags for this article: android, Nexus One, TED
