Telstra's Androidland store gives Google first phone store
updated 12:50 pm EST, Fri December 2, 2011
Androidland mixes theme park with Android shop
Google and Australian carrier Telstra have teamed up on the first official store to be themed around Android. Just called Androidland, it serves as a store-within-a-store similar to Apple's presence at Best Buy and a mix of theme park and store. While it lets users try out Telstra's current Android phones, it also lets them play with Angry Birds and Google Earth on giant touchscreens and carnival-style games.
Google has tried the staff to handle the full experience from buying advice through to setting up and suggesting apps. Even the scent has been chosen to reflect Android, with the smell of gingerbread (based on Android 2.3's codename) throughout.
The search giant has been taking to opening mini-stores of its own elsewhere, such as Chromebook-focused stores in the UK. An Android store, even if mildly helped, would show Google widening its scope to cover more home-oriented products and competing with Apple at retail.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2006
LOL
Always a day late and a dollar short.... just like Microsoft.
They should be handing out Ice Cream Sandwiches since I don't think you can make a store smell like one. But Gingerbread??? Isn't that like 2 or 3 releases back? Nice way to show your potenital customers (all 5 of them) how up to date your "Smell-O-Vision" is.
Nothing but Gimmicks and Smokescreens from these companies.