Google G1 mobile gets promiscuous

THE FOLKS at Google have decided that they're going to stuff T-Mobile and sell their phones unlocked.

The one caveat: buyers have to be registered developers for the Android platform, although this isn't particularly hard to accomplish.

The G1 is currently available free in the UK, but in the US runs at around $200 depending on price plan. For the cost of $399 for the phone (and $25 for the Android registration) buyers can get an unlocked version of the handset that will connect to any GSM network, thus avoiding the exorbitant network charges that T-Mobile imposes.

Those with a disposition to hackery with enjoy the fact that the phone will even boot using non-registered bootloaders, thus allowing custom firmware development.

The advantage for developers is that they can now simply buy the handset to develop applications for it, without being liable for T-Mobile charges. Google hopes that this will encourage developers to get involved with the platform for minimal risk, thus creating an ecosystem of developers to compete with Apple's Iphone platform.

In the UK, there is no news yet on whether an unlocked version of the G1 might be en route, but given the predilection of the local market for no-strings mobiles, it surely can't be far behind.

L'Inq
Mobilecrunch