Earlier this week, Google sent out e-mails to developers of Android apps with at least 3.5 stars and 5,000 downloads informing them that they would receive a phone. Developers in the U.S. will receive either a Droid or a Nexus One, while developers in other countries where the phones are certified will receive a Nexus One.
What does Google hope to gain? Many developers have older phones that don’t run Android 2.0. Giving them a free phone makes it more likely that they’ll create apps to take advantage of the latest technology. In the company’s words, “A thriving developer community is an important part of creating a better mobile experience for users around the world. We hope that offering devices to developers will make it easier for them to create and test great applications.”
