Google is shutting down its online web store, and its Nexus One Android handset will no longer be available online from the company, vice-president Andy Rubin announced in a blog post last week.

"This week we received our last shipment of Nexus One phones," the post on Friday read. Customer support will still be available for current customers and the handsets will continue to be sold by partners including Vodafone in Europe, KT in Korea and others based on local market conditions, the post added.

The phone, which was the first Android handset designed by Google, was initially sold only at google.com/phone. In May, Rubin said on the company's Nexus One blog that while the global adoption of the Android platform exceeded the company's expectations, the web store had not.

"It's remained a niche channel for early adopters. It's clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to choose from", Rubin wrote.

In the UK, supplies of the phone not be interrupted as Vodafone remains the exclusive retailer of the Nexus One handsets.