Google is now selling Galaxy Nexus accessories through its Google Play online storefront, such as the desk dock seen above. Photo: Google
When Google began selling the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone through its Google Play store last month, it did so in a new section of the online storefront called “devices.” The name was plural and yet there was just one device on sale.
Inevitably more gadgets would land on Google’s digital retail shelves, right?
Right. Google has taken the next step in attempting to successfully sell hardware on its own by adding Galaxy Nexus accessories to Google Play. While the new accessories don’t represent a huge step, it’s still a meaningful one.
Alongside the Galaxy Nexus — sold at $399 in carrier-free, unlocked glory — Google is now selling a $54 Vehicle Dock, a $49 HDMI Portrait Desktop Dock, and a $54 Desktop Dock with Pogo Pin.
Ok, so what’s the big deal about one phone and three docks? Well, the additions help to flesh out a full product offering for the Galaxy Nexus, giving consumers the choice of not just picking up a phone, but some gadgets that help make the phone more useful, too. If Google wants to provide a one-stop shop for consumers in Google Play, it needs to do more than just sell phones. It needs to sell the fun stuff that makes our gadgets “ours” too.
The HDMI Portrait Desktop Dock, as the name implies, has an HDMI port that allows users to hook up their phones to HDTVs and other large displays to stream video, or look at the phone’s apps on a larger screen. The Vehicle Dock, while not exactly an attractive piece of equipment, can make the Galaxy Nexus easier to use in a car, whether listening to music or relying on the phone for turn-by-turn directions. The docks work with the GSM/HSPA+ version of the Galaxy Nexus, but not Sprint or Verizon‘s 4G LTE variants, which are just a little thicker.
Google still has a long way to go before its Nexus hardware ecosystem comes close to matching the seemingly endless sea of Apple iPhone accessories available to owners of Android’s biggest rival. But these Google Play additions are a start, and it’s part of making good on a something Android Chief Andy Rubin said when the Galaxy Nexus first hit Google Play: “We want to give you a place to purchase Nexus devices that work really well with your digital entertainment.”
A bit of unsolicited advice here, Google: Why not sell more hardware items that make Nexus devices more entertaining too? Maybe some booming Bluetooth speakers, quality headphones or protective cases that add a bit of style as well?
Of course, a couple more Nexus devices — phones and tablets — would be good additions too.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/google-play-now-selling-galaxy-nexus-accessories/
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