The Nexus 4 smartphone, released only last month, is a triumph for Google. The fourth Google smartphone to use the Nexus 4 this one is made by LG.

Sporting the latest version of Android, an excellent screen and camera, they’ve done what they did with the Nexus 7 tablet – bought it in at an excellent price. The 8GB Nexus 4 is just £239 contract-free. The 16GB version is just £40 more. A 16GB iPhone 5, in comparison, would cost around £575.

So, it’s onto a winner. Except, it’s been bungled.

Google (or rather, LG) are unable to manufacturer enough – as soon as stock becomes available it immediately disappears again. To say it’s been a success would be an understatement, but they simply can’t match demand.

Even if you are able to get hold of one the matching accessories, which are a great way for companies to make up for lost margins on the phone, are equally MIA.

The “bumper” case has been unavailable on their site for weeks, for example, and when, in the past, it has appeared it’s been snapped up en-masse by people re-selling them on eBay at big mark-ups. No-one at Google has thought to limit them.

One of the other selling points of the Nexus 4 is the wireless charging. Google, back in October, showed off a wireless charger/stand for the phone, called the Nexus Orb. Sadly, it’s not been seen since.

It’s a huge shame, as the Nexus 4 is genuinely a fantastic phone (particularly for the money) and could really elevate Android even further in the eyes of the public. It hasn’t put me off, though – I ordered a Nexus 4 a couple of weeks ago. It has a wait time of 6-7 weeks, which I can cope with. I just wish I had a bumper and Orb to go with it 😉