Google forced to delay UK launch of Nexus One

BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Google has been forced to delay the launch of its flagship product, the Nexus One, until next month according to media reports. Vodafone, one of Britain's leading mobile phone service providers had been expected to release the product in the coming weeks. But the launch has been put back until at least April.

It is unclear why the launch of the phone has been delayed, though its U.S. release did not run as smoothly as the company might have hoped. Google's decision to sell the Nexus One solely through its website drew strong criticism as buyers struggled to obtain help with technical problems. Google has traditionally relied on email for consumer contact, but the influx of complaints forced the company to introduce telephone helpline support.

The launch delay of the phone, made by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC, may lose Google sales. Vodafone are soon to launch several other products which use Google's Android operating system. The service provider has confirmed it will soon release the HTC Desire, the HTC Legend and Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10. The HTC Legend is considered more stylish than the Nexus, being built from a single piece of milled aluminium. The HTC Desire, said to be exactly the same as the Nexus One, but with an optical trackpad instead of a trackball, will also be available on the Orange and T-Mobile mobile networks. The Sony Ericsson's much anticipated X10, its first offering to use Google's Android operating system, sports an 8 megapixel camera which rivals the other three's 5 megapixel device.

The mobile market has become increasingly competitive with users replacing their phones within 18 months of purchase, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Research in the UK suggests people upgrade or replace their mobile phones every 12-18 months, while Europeans on average replace their cell phones every year. Technological innovation is the main reason behind this trend, though it creates an environmental headache too with more than 125 million phones being discarded per year in America alone.

Last week Goldman Sachs slashed its estimate for Nexus One sales this year from 3.5 million units to 1 million worldwide.