Google Ion Coming Soon As ADP2?
| by Rob Jackson on June 5th, 2009 |
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What do you get when you take the hardware of the HTC Dream and T-Mobile G1, remove all branding and unlock the phone? You get the Android Dev Phone 1 which is sold directly by Google to developers. Except right now, you cannot buy it.
When you’re logged into Android Market’s Developer Backend there is usually an option to purchase a Dev phone in the lower left hand corner:
Development phones
As a registered developer, you can purchase an unlocked phone.
Buy now »
While that option IS there, clicking it runs some quick AJAX that quickly errors and puts you right back where you started in much less than a second. What the heck could be going on? When that link IS active and working it actually brings you OFF the Android Market site/domain to the following URL:
But attempting to go to that domain name just leads to the same outcome, redirecting you to your developer homepage if logged in and taking you to the login screen if you are not. Why is the Android Dev Phone page unavailable?
Just a guess here, but I think we’ll be seeing the Google Ion land as the next ADP (Android Developer Phone) available to developers. I could be wrong and this could be a temporary glitch to which Google is currently tending. But its much more fun to think and follow the former. I suppose we could see an unannounced device become ADP2 but the chances are… eh, it ain’t gonna happen.
For those with developer accounts, check in periodically and let us know if you notice anything funky.
[Via it sucking when I tried to buy one and couldn't]
1. Tyler Miller wrote on June 5, 2009
Go to bed.
2. szel wrote on June 5, 2009
Link on my Google Market account shows me the same page, as few months ago. There’s ADP1 and nothing more.
3. Thomas Riley wrote on June 5, 2009
I can confirm what szel says.
I can get to the ADP1 sale page from my dev account.
I will keep an eye on it for you.
4. Rob Jackson wrote on June 5, 2009
It has returned for me now, too! I wouldn’t be surprised if ADP2 is right around the corner though.
5. Jonno.N wrote on June 5, 2009
Is that your hand bro? What are you typing on razorblades or something?
6. Søren Juul wrote on June 5, 2009
I hope they will launch a device with qwerty as current has, like the new lancaster
7. Søren Juul wrote on June 5, 2009
The following link describes brightstarcorp as android market’s “fulfillment partner” http://www.google.com/support/androidmarket/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=126259
I just think the downtime was caused by them moving to a new distributor of android developer phones and therefore needed to change some website stuff as well. However we could hope that this meant that new countries also would be able to buy the dev-phone, for example the ones that had been enabled for targeting free apps (http://phandroid.com/2009/05/28/android-market-update-new-countries-getting-android-phones/).
8. Thomas Riley wrote on June 6, 2009
The link in my dec account is now just linking back to the developer console…
9. Sam Young wrote on June 12, 2009
I want the google Ion, but the G1 is the only device available through my Dev Account