Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is apparently generating its own holiday-shopping buzz this fall, at least if the results from the first day of online sales of its new smartphone are any indication. Reports are that the new Nexus 4 smartphone sold out online in its first day of release, which was Tuesday.
One of the unique features on the new Google Inc smartphone is what is called Google Photo Sphere, which allows for 360-degree photo images that can be shared on applications like Google Maps and Google+. The new smartphone will run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, has wireless charging and a feature called Gesture Typing, which allows the user to swipe over the keyboard. the LG version of the smartphone, which was unveiled last month, has a 4.7-inch screen with 320 pixel-per-inch resolution. The device has an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a 1.2-MP camera on the front and runs on a Snapdragon S4 processor by QUALCOMM Inc (NASDAQ:QCOM) with 2 GB of RAM.
It has been only a day, and the device doesn’t seem to be hitting wireless carriers’ shelves until later this week or next, but does a quick sell-out mean anything for Google Inc in its attempt to get into the smartphone handset market with its Android operating system? Can Google Inc leverage the initial positive reception into solid sales to make the Nexus 4 a viable competitor in the congested smartphone market? What could this indicate for investors like billionaire Julian Robertson of Tiger Management? If you were in the market for a smartphone, would you consider the Nexus 4? Why or why not?
