After one of the most confusing pre-launch campaigns in recent history, Google has finally released the highly-anticipated Nexus 5 handset. The Nexus device will be available through most major U.S. carriers this holiday season, well, all but one. Sadly, the nation's largest wireless service provider, Verizon, is passing on the device.
Google revealed the Nexus 5 at a Halloween event that also showed off the brand new Android 4.4 KitKat operating system. The device is already on sale through the Google Play store, and carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint will all sell the device through their own stores in time for the holiday season. Despite the larger launch, Google also confirmed that Verizon would not be offering the device.
The move comes as a surprise to many, given that the Nexus 5 will release on Sprint, another CDMA-based network. The Google Nexus 4, while popular, contained only GSM support, rendering it useless on Verizon and Sprint networks. Google's gone a step further and included LTE — as well as CDMA — support in the Nexus 5, allowing Sprint to offer the smartphone. Why Verizon won't seize the opportunity to sell such a potentially-lucrative device is still a mystery, but not all is lost.
Despite confirming Verizon will not be selling the Nexus 5, Google vice president Sundar Pichai did state that Google is "working with [Verizon] on a set of projects for 2014." What these projects are, and whether they are simply modified versions of the latest Nexus lineup (Verizon does have a distinct addiction to insisting its logo be stamped on its devices) remains to be seen.
Would you have picked up the Nexus 5 as a Verizon customer? Let us know what you think of Big Red passing on the Nexus 5 in the comments section below.
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