Android Dev Phone – Unlocked G1 Handset Now Available
Aimed at Android developers, Google have released a hardware and SIM unlocked G1 handset.
The new G1 model is available to members of the Android Market developer program and can be purchased for $399.
The Android Dev Phone 1 is a SIM-unlocked and hardware-unlocked device that is designed for advanced developers. The device ships with a system image that is fully compatible with Android 1.0, so you can rely on it when developing your applications. You can use any SIM in the device and can flash custom Android builds that will work with the unlocked bootloader. Unlike the bootloader on retail devices, the bootloader on the Android Dev Phone 1 does not enforce signed system images. The Android Dev Phone 1 should also appeal to developers who live outside of T-Mobile geographies.
The handset includes free shipping to the U.S, with other Countries seeing shipping costs as high as a couple hundred dollars.
It is not currently known whether other HTC handsets will be released in this manner, namely the HTC Hero Android phone that is expected to launch in July.
New reports this week also suggest that the Android platform won't just be limited to mobile phones. With a number of netbook manufacturers rumored to be working on a range of Android Netbooks. The Android operating system is seen by many to be a possible match to the popular netbook systems.
Leave a Comment