Google released last Friday the Android Dev Phone 1, a SIM-unlocked and hardware-unlocked G1 phone, which will run the Android OS and allow developers to test new applications. The phone is available for $399, plus the $25 to register as an Android developer on the Android Market site, raising the cost to $424.
Appearance-wise, the unlocked G1 looks pretty slick with a new dark steel gray case design, with a pattern in the back. The phone is available in United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, India, Canada, France, Taiwan, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Poland and Hungary.
For now, Google's developers can only get one phone per account, to prevent hogging of the unlocked hardware. The phone marks a departure from Google's first smart phone, the G1 on the T-Mobile network which debuted September 23 and was not unlocked. The G1, however, is still the significantly cheaper phone, available for only $179 with a T-Mobile contract.
Unlocked Google Android phone sells for $399
Posted on Tuesday, December 09 2008 @ 0:20 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck