Google To Sell Partner Tablets Directly

Remember when Google sold the original Nexus One smartphone directly from their website? It was a short-lived experiment, as the company determined they weren't ready (or willing, perhaps) to install the support infrastructure needed to properly serve customers and provide tech support for the phone. But now, with Android tablets falling well behind the iPad in terms of market dominance, the company is dipping their toes into this idea once more. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Google will begin to sell co-branded tablets directly to customers through an online Google store.

Evidently, Google (and perhaps their partners) believe that by getting these on the web and in front of customers via a Google portal, they'll be more likely to gain traction. But it's not likely to help, in all reality. People know that Android tablets exist; the problem is that they simply don't offer as many compelling applications as the iPad. Until the ecosystem catches up to the App Store in terms of impressiveness, even this move is highly unlikely to skyrocket the sales of Android slates.