Google is doing everything it can to help customers purchase its very popular Nexus 4 flagship smartphone.

It has done an even better job at replenishing stock of the unlocked Nexus 4 it sells on Google Play, and in another move to help potential Nexus 4 customers, it has launched an online tool to track down the Nexus 4 in your area.

A few details to be aware of when using this tool: The Nexus 4 search tool will locate a T-Mobile store based on your location that it believes has Nexus 4s in stock for purchase. Google notes on the Nexus 4 search page that you should call the store to check for device availability. So while this tool is a step in the right direction, one can only hope that Google will somehow enable it to give real-time inventory and allow you to reserve the device for pickup through the online search tool.

Apple does something very similar when it launches a new iPhone or iPad that is completely sold out of its online store. Apple allows customers to check for availability based on location between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. and allows the customer to reserve the device for pickup the following day. It's a great tool because it guarantees that once you reserve the device you will be able to pick it up the following day, with no need to call a retail store to re-check availability.

Google is headed in the right direction by offering this tool, since it now sees high demand for its Nexus 4 smartphone, Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus 10 tablet. It would be great if in the future Google rolls out this service for tracking down more of its devices, such as the Nexus 7 tablet sold in Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot and other third-party retailers. It would certainly make the experience of trying to track down its popular devices into a more pleasant one such as Apple currently offers. The fact that Google launched this tool should give customers hope that Google will add these kinds of features sooner rather than later. You can check Nexus 4 availability in T-Mobile stores by clicking this link; just make sure you call before you head down to the store.