And as Google learned, support from wireless companies is really important if you want to sell phones. Verizon's thrust Droid into the spotlight, and the carrier's two-for-one deals propelled Android to .

Let me be clear that I don't think the Nexus One itself is a failure. As my colleague Jeff Bertolucci , the Nexus One succeeds as a sort of demo unit, a phone that showed app developers what Android is capable of. It also allows Google to show off its own mobile products in screenshots and live demonstrations on Google-branded hardware, so the company needn't publicly show favor to HTC, Motorola or Samsung.

As a phone, the Nexus One wasn't a total loss, but as a way to change our buying habits for smartphones, it's a lost cause.