Unlocked Android phone now on sale

Seth Weintraub
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December 06, 2008
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The iPhone's best (probably) long term competition is the Android platform.  We're guilty of being just a little bit interested in what those Google people are going to do with their platform.  A little birdy told us that some Netbooks would soon be arriving with Android as the OS.  But that's for a different day.

Today, Android is definitely stepping up the "openness" quotient in their ecosystem by offering a SIM unlocked G1 phone "to developers".  It is available in the US with free shipping for $400.  Not bad really.

It will soon be available in UK, Germany, Japan, India, Canada, France, Taiwan, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Poland, and Hungary.  Other countries will follow.

Note that Android Dev Phone 1 devices are not intended for non-developer end users. Since the devices can be configured with system software not provided by or supported by Google or any other company, end users operate these devices at their own risk.

Yeah, right.

 

Comments (7)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 06, 2008 - 8:08am

If our beloved Chief Executive Dictator would get this openess thing, too we'd see a lot of hardcore linux geeks buying iPhones.

Apple really shot in their own knees by not pushing openess. This Anti-Openess-Strategy even pushes a lot of very vocal geeks to actually leave the Macintosh platform.

Additionally:
I know a lot of non-geek people who bought their locked iPhones, used them for a while, than updated their iPhone OS and now their iPhones are no longer in use, because they dont know howto unlock them. Apple could make money with those users, if they'd provide sim-unlocks. Otherwise those devices are just useless bricks - no iTunes and no appstore revenue.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 06, 2008 - 8:38am

oh do shut up, you clearly do not understand the whole point in the mac and iphone with that statement so go buy a crumby G1

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 06, 2008 - 12:35pm

Apple is already selling iPhones officially unlocked out of the box in Singapore, Hong Kong, and I think Italy. The problem is the US cellular market, and the fact that people in the US love to buy locked phones, which still baffles me.

Cory Schulz | December 06, 2008 - 10:23pm

 I'm in the US and my iPhone is locked and I don't have any problem with it. Why would I even want an unlocked phone? I have a family plan with ATT and I'm fine with that. I pay $55 a month for unlimited internet, unlimited texting, and 450 minutes (with free nights and weekends). That's more than enough for me and the price isn't really that bad. By purchasing a locked phone and signing a 2 year agreement, they offer to pay for half of the phone (or even more!), which is awesome. If you buy an unlocked phone you have to pay for the entire phone, which sucks and usually involves at least an extra $150. After the 2 year agreement is up I think they let you unlock the phone at no charge anyways. 

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 06, 2008 - 3:05pm

You are missing the point. Apple should be offering its Developers a way to by Carrier free iPhones for development. Try supporting 3 current SDKs whilst having a beta version installed etc etc.

No way I'm going to buy 2 iphones to sell 10 apps a day...

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 07, 2008 - 6:35am

Apple is the new Microsoft. Google is the new Apple.

Cory Schulz | December 07, 2008 - 9:07pm

A lot of people have been floating this idea around lately, and I completely disagree with it. Apple has not adopted the same culture and attitude Microsoft has. Apple is still very much Apple. Their culture and attitude has not changed that much. The changes we are seeing in Apple is a result of them taking on very large challenges and gaining significant popularity in a relatively short amount of time. They've release a lot of new products and services, and refined a lot of old ones within the last few years, and have had one or two missteps along the way, but I do not think we should scold them for that by attacking them by comparing them to something as disgusting as Microsoft.

 

Also, Google is not the new Apple. Google is Google. There simply is nothing else out there like Google at the moment. If anything, Apple and Google are very similar in their attitude, culture, and foresight. It could also be mentioned that Eric Schmidt is the CEO of Google and is also on the board at Apple, so much of his knowledge that is used at Google can also be applied at Apple, making them more similar than dissimilar.

 

I think both companies are very well run and have a lot of potential and offer quality products and services. Their progress is impressive, and strong, and I think the future will be great for both companies. I, personally, greatly appreciate both of them and forgive them for their minor faults. They are often times not joining a current market, but instead create the market that, in the future, others attempt to compete in. Creating new markets isn't easy, and there is a certain art to it that few people/companies have. I think they both accomplish this daunting task with grace and vigor, and I can't wait to see what they come out with next.

-Cory