Mobile analytics firm Flurry says Google's Nexus One is a sales flop. Using estimates based on usage of its apps, Flurry believes that the new Android-driven smart phone debuted to dismal sales.
The same metrics show that Motorola's Droid launched to better-than-expected numbers, selling over one million units faster than the iPhone did when it was released in 2007. Flurry does note the Droid had the benefit of coming after the iPhone, a device that changed users' perceptions about the capacity and capabilities of mobile devices.
What does this mean for games, though? Apple's iPhone is a true player in the space, home to many innovative and engaging games. Meanwhile, games for the Android platform are rare and not all that good.
Google lobbied hard at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week to encourage gamemakers to develop and port for the Android platform, going so far as to pass out free phones and service contracts like they were candy. Previously, the big mobile publishers were wary of investing in the platform: Last year, Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort told investors that his company had "significantly cut (its) investment" in Android games.
Google has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with Apple. Meanwhile, gamers with Android phones will have to continue coveting the fun stuff their iPhone-equipped friends get to play.
Image courtesy Flurry
Day 74 Sales: Apple iPhone vs Google Nexus One vs Motorola Droid [Flurry]
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