It is pretty odd to know that Sony Ericsson turned down the offer to make the very first Google branded phone. According to Bert Nordberg, CEO of SE, they refused to make the device since they want to focus only on making their own branded devices and that they would not be a subcontractor for another mobile phone.
It is odd because it is pretty pointless to know that fact now.
The info comes from Bert’s interview from a Swedish magazine. Right now, we are all already aware that SE suffered some major setbacks last 2009 and that they could have used some better publicity like what HTC got when it was confirmed that they would be manufacturing the Nexus One.
SE on the hand spent much of 2009 closing offices and facilities and getting the Satio fixed up after it got pulled out of shelves from Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U. Between that, they were announcing delays for mobile devices. At least their Greenheart phone series was doing pretty well. On that note, the decision to pass up the Nexus was a pretty bad choice.
Meanwhile, we do know that the Nexus One only sold 20,000 units during its first week and that the devices come with an error when it comes to connecting properly with 3G networks (and a few other bugs). Google has already released an update that fixes the problem. In this case, it is a tactical decision for SE not to make a mobile phone that would be a competitor to there is XPERIA X10.
Was Bert simply showing off? Unlikely, chances are, the decision to announce the turning down of Google’s invitation was done to reinforce the belief the despite the reported problems, SE is still on track as one of the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturers.
Read more about the interview at Engadget.
