Google is offering SIM- and hardware-unlocked HTC G1 phones to members of its Android developer network. Priced at $400 ($425 with network member fee), the “Android Dev Phone 1” aims to provide developers with real hardware to test their applications on.

Google's Android SDK includes a software emulator. However, real hardware works better for application testing, because it reflects “real world” performance and interface characteristics more accurately.

The Dev Phone 1 is priced considerably higher than the T-Mobile G1, offered for $180. However, the unlocked phone will work with SIM cards for any GSM/GPRS network, and lets users more easily modify the system software stack. It comes with a stack compatible with Android 1.0, Google says.

Availability

The Dev Phone 1 is currently available on a “one-per-customer” basis, in a range of countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, India, Canada, France, Taiwan, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Poland and Hungary. Lots more details can be found in eWEEK coverage, here, or on Google's “Devices for Developers” page, here.

Other hardware test platforms

While awaiting real Android development hardware, several enterprising Linux developers ported Android 1.0 to existing open hardware platforms, such as Nokia's N810 Internet tablet. N810 Linux projects that we know of currently include NITdroid, said to feature working WiFi drivers, and NthCode.

For a detailed article explaining how Google modified Linux for use in Android, consider reading a paper on the topic by Nth Code CEO, Peter McDermott. It can be found here.

 
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