Google releases unlocked G1 for developers

To make the phone more accessible to developers, Google's Android development team released the first SIM-unlocked and hardware-unlocked version of the T-Mobile G1, which runs on the Android platform.

The move, which the development team quietly let slip on Friday, is a clear signal to application developers that they now have a G1 to test their applications on free from the constraints of signing up for a service contract with T-Mobile USA. The phone, called the Android Dev Phone 1, is available for $399 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, India, Canada, France, Taiwan, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Poland and Hungary.   

Developers who are registered in the Android Market can sign into their account and purchase the phone. Google is limiting one phone to each developer account. Google warned that non-developers should probably not make use of the phone, noting that, "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."

For more:
- see this article

Related Articles:
Australian company debuts world's second Android phone
Apple vs. Android: What developers need to know