Google’s Nexus One – What Happened to Crowdsourcing?

The Google search engine organizes its webpage information based on user visits to sites resulting from keyword searches.
Google crowd sources their map data using applications that allow users to submit data as well as correct it in both Google maps and Google earth.
They also apply to concept of crowdsourcing to many of their user applications such as Google moderator, Google translate and Google traffic.

With Google basing their success on harnessing the wisdom of the collective to produce superior web applications one has to wonder:

Why didn’t Google use crowdsourcing to design their new android phone: Nexus One?

The hype surrounding the release of the Nexus One promised a revolutionary smart phone, a clear step above Apple Inc.’s i-Phone.  What was released however was an underwhelming, slightly improved (in some respects and not others) version of the existing android smart phone.

 How does it compare to the i-Phone?

“Coming up with ways in which the iPhone 3GS maintains a formidable lead over the N1 is a cakewalk. The iPhone OS’s interface is less cluttered. There are not only five times more iPhone apps (100,000+ vs. 20,000) but the best ones, such as Tweetie, may be five times better than their Android equivalents. Google doesn’t even seem to be trying to catch up with the iPhone’s entertainment features: Android lets you copy music from a PC but not sync it, and has no provisions for buying or renting video. Bottom line: The iPhone is (still) a more highly evolved, refined device.”  
                                                                           Harry McCracken, Technologizer

Perhaps, Google should have stuck with what works: 
User designed product!