Unlocked Android phone now on sale

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.