Looks like the VZW N1 is "officially" dead.. Look on their site

[Air Force One]

I think this is a side effect of having a unregulated free for all type of system that comprises Android. I like Android and will be getting the Incredible this week, but it makes you wonder how Android will ever pick up enough momentum to compete with the iPhone which has consistent and unified marketing and deployment. As of right now, Android is very much a niche product and will remain so until Google decides to get their head out of their ass and write down some ground rules about which direction they're going to take. We all love a free and open OS but without some basic organization, it will go the way of Linux with its infinite distros and niche placement in the market. This is going to turn away a lot of the non-geek smartphone crowd.

At the end off the day I'm not worried about Android the OS. Yes it niche, but that is changing as we speak and will not stay that way, regardless of what happens with the N1. IMO, Android will be alright.

I agree Google needs to get ahold of the snake and get some control tho.

 

[Air Force One]

But if Froyo is everything that everyone rumors it to be, then this will be Google's attempt to mitigate platform fragmentation. Updates would no longer be limited by the carrier's whim. With the evolution of the platform, how fast, quick or immediate a device receives an update will be negligible and a non-factor. At the moment, the N1 holds this advantage; the DROID is a distant second, but still less encumbered than Sense devices. But if 2.2 is what people are saying it is, this advantage will disappear.

Whole lot of speculation here tho. All we can do is wait and see.

 

[sooper_droid12]

But it makes you wonder how Android will ever pick up enough momentum to compete with the iPhone which has consistent and unified marketing and deployment. As of right now, Android is very much a niche product and will remain so until Google decides to get their head out of their ass and write down some ground rules about which direction they're going to take. We all love a free and open OS but without some basic organization, it will go the way of Linux with its infinite distros and niche placement in the market. This is going to turn away a lot of the non-geek smartphone crowd.

This is the problem that all Linux-based type systems have gone right? However, I think Google has been smart to provide the counterpart to Apple. For example, it has embraced Flash when Apple has rejected it. All jokes aside, they have embraced porn, where Apple has rejected it. As the adage goes, "Where porn goes, so goes the internet." I just read the other day, how developers are embracing Android because of its lack of restrictions that so encumber the iPhone app development process.

That being said, I think Android WAS a niche product, but it's popularity is growing. Whether you want to give the credit or not, the DROID put Android on the map. And whether you want to admit it or not, it will be the Incredible (NOT the Nexus One) that will effectively put an Android device in the majority of people's hands, taking advantage of the breadth of VZW subscribers.

Androlib reported that Android apps have topped the 50K mark with most of the growth occurring in Q1/Q2 2010. This is an indication that Android is indeed taking (nay, stealing) market share from the big hitters (RIM, Apple, Microsoft). It was niche, but it is very much becoming mainstream. With Froyo (2.2), addressing fragmentation, this will go a LOOONG way in securing the platform's presence in the smartphone market.

 

[sooper_droid12]

Whole lot of speculation here tho. All we can do is wait and see.

True. That's why I say IF it is what everyone says it is. That's a big IF. But I do think that Google will eventually address the fragmentation problem because it ensures the longevity of the platform. Why? Because there's no denying the quality and marketability of platforms that have locked down requirements like Apple (iPhone) and soon-to-be Windows Phone 7. If Android is not careful, with the introduction of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft can recapture some of the market share they lost to Android if Google doesn't stem this fragmentation and reliability of update issue. Because both Apple and Microsoft are very clear about their devices receiving unobstructed updates and how they will receive them. Ultimately, this lends itself well to a stabilized platform.

 

[Air Force One]

Whether you want to give the credit or not, the DROID put Android on the map. And whether you want to admit it or not, it will be the Incredible (NOT the Nexus One) that will effectively put an Android device in the majority of people's hands, taking advantage of the breadth of VZW subscribers.

Yes I agree that without the success of the Droid there never would have been a Nexus One and that the Droid is responsible for Android's rise. No one ever said the N1 was a threat to the Droid's legacy. Droid owners just took it that way.

I look at it like this: every Android equipped device is a win for ANDROID, and this includes the N1, and includes the Incredible.

As an N1 owner, I LOVE the Incredible for one reason: I KNOW Apple fears it.

But yes the Moto Droid truly started the Android ball rolling

 

[HustlinDaily]

This means good things in terms of updates for the Incredible.

 

[Mostly Harmless]

I guess maybe I am missing the big picture but I really don't understand what's with all the doom and gloom attitudes? The Inc and N1 are very capable phones, they offer very similar specs, and with each having it's own perks. As an AT&T customer who has no plans on going to Verizon the N1 offers the best way to jump on the Android bandwagon. What other phone right now offers the N1 performance for either AT&T or T-Mobile? Before anyone jumps down my throat about Verizon being better then AT&T, that's all based on your opinion, where I am located AT&T does just fine.

I also choose to stick with AT&T because they offer GSM phones. Over the past year I have done quiet a bit of international traveling and really appreciated the ability to use my phone where ever I went, including taking advantages of the 3G networks over in Europe. I traveled with friends who had Verizon phones and most of them (expect for one who had the Blackberry Tour) had to get special phones to use abroad, these phones were just feature phones. I was able to keep all the functions of my iPhone (including currency converters, language translators, tour apps...etc...). I hope to keep traveling if my funds allow me.

I have personal reasons why I like my N1 the best, but if I was on the Verizon network I would just pick up the Inc without even worrying about it, and if I were to be buying a phone today (instead of three weeks ago, boy do things change very fast) while keeping with AT&T I would still get the N1 without worrying about it. Both are capable phones, both offer Android, and both are not an iPhone.

If google really does stop supporting the N1 (even though they annouced a little while ago that there were still plenty of secrets left with the N1) then I will jump ship to another phone, but for now I am going to enjoy it.

 

[tonygeno]

I guess maybe I am missing the big picture but I really don't understand what's with all the doom and gloom attitudes?

Here's an interesting take as to why Google's announcement is significant:

Verizon, Vodafone dent Google's Nexus One hopes | Relevant Results - CNET News

Their idea was to change the way phone distribution worked (and I thought it was a great idea) but by the Verizon and Vodaphone announcements, they are basically admitting defeat (at least for now).

 

[Roze]

Being as I'm north of the border (howdy neighbours) the only capable android phones on the Canadian market at the moment are the Milestone (Motto Droid), Sony X10 and the N1. The Milestone is not with my carrier (and I don't want a physical QWERTY keyboard) and I didn't want to sign another 3 years contract (I still have 2 years left on mine) or a branded phone, thus no X10 for me. So that left me with the best phone available for my needs, the N1. It was a bit out of my phone budget ($300) but it was a sacrifice (2 months of going out and shopping) I'll be happy to do it again for the Nexus One, lol. I think it's the best phone us Canadians can get our hands on.