ORLANDO—Sprint made a pitch for Android developers, hackers and enthusiasts' business at the CTIA trade show today, suggesting that the carrier may become the new home for Google's cutting-edge developer models.
Up until now, T-Mobile has been the U.S. carrier for Google's "Nexus" and developer phones, including the G1, Nexus One, G2, and Nexus S. These phones typically run the latest versions of Android, get frequent updates, and are easily hacked and altered by enthusiasts.
But the potential merger of AT&T and T-Mobile has observers like myself worried, because AT&T tends to lock down its Android phones.
Just a day after the AT&T/T-Mobile merger announcement, Sprint, Samsung and Google announced the Nexus S 4G (shown below), the first developer-model phone for Sprint. If the Nexus S 4G does well for Sprint, the company will continue to pursue offering developer-model Android phones, said Kevin Cordes, general manager of device product management for Sprint.
"Yes, we want to be able to attract developers just like T-Mobile has," Cordes said. "You'll see Sprint definitely evaluate these opportunities and continue to be interested" in developer phones, he added.
Sprint was tipped to offer the Nexus One phone earlier this year, but cancelled the plan in May in favor of launching the HTC Evo 4G. The company is offering the Nexus S because Google's business model has changed, Cordes said. The Nexus One was part of a Google attempt to sell phones directly, potentially bypassing the carriers. The Nexus S is sold in the U.S. as a more traditional phone with carrier cooperation.
"The Nexus S operational model and distribution model are quite a bit different from the Nexus One," Cordes said.
