Google has recently launched its app store, offering applications for money as well, but it seems to have a couple of unpleasant surprises for users. The developer version of the Android G1 phone is currently available for 400 dollars, while if someone would like to join the developer program, he or she has to pay only 25 dollars. The only problem with this that running paid applications on these phones is impossible. The reason for this might be a recently uncovered security bug, which allows users of unlocked phones to obtain payable applications for free, as the developer handset allows the copying of protected applications, so making use of the 24 hour money return warranty of the Android Market, one could keep copy-protected software on the developer handset. Google's limitation and the security flaw of the Android system made developers and owners of developer version handsets anxious. Developers are afraid of the decreasing of the number of possible customers, while the users are rightfully angry, as they phone that costs 400 dollars has in fact less features than the carrier-supported, much cheaper one. It is not yet known what Google wants to do in order to solve the problem, but unfortunately this is not the first security flaw that questions the basics of designing Android systems.
Translated by Szaszati
