Will Google Launch A Nexus One Accessories Program?
With the discovery of an official car kit in the works, we're wondering quite how strong a lead in Nexus One accessories Google plan to take. The undisputed trailblazer for courting third-party accessories is Apple, and they've created a huge ecosystem around the iPhone and the iPod; so far add-ons for Android devices have been pretty much left to the whims of their respective manufacturers, but Google's newly focussed involvement might change all that. Our prediction: some sort of "made for Nexus" tagline.
Right now, Android lacks a certification program – a "Made for Android" tag, as it were – in the same manner as Apple's, and aside from the openness of the platform itself the devices that have used it generally adopt standardized connectors and adapters. True, it took HTC a few iterations to get that down-pat, but going by the leaked roadmap we saw last week they've now got fully on board with things like microUSB. As Google climb aboard the device train, however, it might make sense for them to qualify what's like to become a rush of third-party Nexus One accessories with an official seal.
Any sort of Android accessories certification would, we reckon, take a similar route as the "with Google" branding on the smartphones themselves. Manufacturers would be free to commit to Google's guidelines or do something different, but only those that toe the "perfect Google Phone" line would get a mention on the company's Nexus One accessories page.
It would also give Google the chance to more closely control the end-user experience, something they seem to be keen on doing in the creation of this "perfect" Google Phone. Just as the OS the Nexus One launches with will be the vision of what the search giant reckon is the ideal smartphone, the peripherals and accessories used with it will also come under intense scrutiny. It's a niche within a niche, certainly, but given the lure of the Google brand-name it seems likely that manufacturers and customers alike will get onboard.