Poor Google, it hasn’t been a very good week for you, has it? First we talked about how you accidentally tapped into WiFi info with your Street View cars, and now you’ve been forced to close your online Nexus One phone store after only four months. Does somebody need a hug?

The touch screen smart phone was introduced by the search engine giants in a bid to compete with the iPhone and Blackberry. But maybe marketing it directly to consumers online instead of having it widely available in retail locations just wasn’t the best idea.

Andy Rubin, Google vice president of engineering, explained the move in a post on a company blog:

“While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the Web store has not. It’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.”

In a 74-day period, 135,000 Nexus One units were sold, compared to 1 million iPhones, according to Flurry, a company that tracks smart phone use.

We’re not trying to beat up on you today, Google, but you’re making it kinda easy.
Nexus One changes in availability [Google Blog]

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