Google unveils new Android SDK and test phone for developers

The new SDK contains fixes for a number of bugs in the old SDK.

Developers can now also buy a SIM-unlocked and hardware-unlocked edition of the T-Mobile G1 made by HTC for $399.

Google tells developers that, "the device ships with a system image that is fully compatible with Android 1.0, so you can rely on it when developing your applications".

"You can use any SIM in the device and can flash custom Android builds that will work with the unlocked bootloader. Unlike the bootloader on retail devices, the bootloader on the Android Dev Phone 1 does not enforce signed system images. The Android Dev Phone 1 should also appeal to developers who live outside of T-Mobile geographies," said a Google announcement.

The device may only be bought by registered Google Android developers in the US, UK, Germany, Japan, India, Canada, France, Taiwan, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Poland, and Hungary.

Google warns that end-users who manage to get hold of the "Android Dev Phone 1" -- the code name for the unlocked G1 for developers -- would "operate these devices at their own risk".

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