The Google Pixel phones were once believed to be the next world's finest phones. In fact, it was getting positive reviews before it was even made available to the public and right after its release. Though there have been some negative reviews about its performance, people still recognizes its high-end specs and are still buying it.
The Digital Death Sentence by Google
In a written article at CBS Local, Google is hitting the Pixel Resellers with a "digital death sentence." Reportedly, Google has banned over 200 Google accounts. Several people who recently bought the Google Pixel phones on behalf of a New Hampshire dealer got banned. The banned Pixel phones could not access Gmail account, online photos, and other vital digital services.
The Reason for the Digital Death Sentence
According to Google, the reselling of the Pixel Phones violates its terms of service. Those rules, outlined in a document that few people read closely, forbid the purchase of the Pixel for "commercial" resale. Last Thursday, Google described the resale arrangement as a "scheme" devised by dealers who are looking to sell the Pixels at marked-up prices in violation of its policies.
How They Did It
According to IB Times, the users had agreed to help a smartphone reseller in New Hampshire gain access to a number of Pixel phones by purchasing them from Google's online shop at full a retail price and requesting that Google to ship the devices to the dealer. It is said that some users bought one phone, while other bought a maximum of five phones using their own accounts. And since there since there is no sales tax in New Hampshire, the dealer would then split the savings made from not paying sales tax with the user.
Google Takes Back the Digital Death Sentence
Many users who were affected by the ban complained at an online forum at DansDeal that they had no knowledge of Google's terms of service. They were also petitioning that Google at least lets them have access to their data that is currently stuck in an account they can no longer access. Upon hearing this and reviewing the case, Google has decided to lift the ban - it was confirmed at DansDale that users had their accounts reactivated.
Writer's perspective
I am very surprised about this move by Google, but frankly, I understand it somehow because the Google Pixel phones were just recently released. However, there are many online sites out there for people to buy, sell and swap their property. I mean, once you bought something, it is yours and you have the right to do anything with it, right? I wonder if Google will be lenient in implementing this "no resale" policy for the Google Pixel phones after a year of its release.
If you're interested in buying the Google Pixel, here is a quick preview of its specs and features:
Body:
Dimensions: 143.8 x 69.5 x 8.5 mm (5.66 x 2.74 x 0.33 in)
Weight: 143 g
Display:
Type: AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M
Size: 5.0 inches
Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels
Platform:
OS: Android OS, v7.1 (Nougat)
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821
Memory:
Internal: 32/128 GB, 4 GB RAM
Camera:
Front Camera: 8 MP
Rear Camera: 12.3 MP
Battery:
Non-removable Li-Ion 2770 mAh battery
Fearures:
Fast battery charging
MP4/H.264 player
MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
Photo/video editor
Document editor
