We didn't have too many reservations about the Galaxy S III for Verizon in stock form. Anyone who's been eager to load new firmware, however, has been up in arms over the particularly locked down bootloader that Big Red (but no other US carrier so far) demands. Enter the Galaxy S III Developer Edition. The new, direct-from-Samsung variant will have all the CDMA and LTE a Verizon subscriber could want, but with the option to unlock the bootloader for as much customization as serious Android fans might stand. As you'd anticipate, the catch is simply who takes the hit if something goes wrong: brick the phone and you're likely looking at an expensive phone call to Samsung rather than a trip to the local Verizon store. Regardless, those who like Verizon's network but don't believe its claims about 'dangerous' unlocked phones can get the best of both worlds soon -- as long as they're willing to spend the $600 off-contract once the Developer Edition is ready in the near future. Check after the break for Samsung's official Q&A on the subject.
Filed under: Cellphones
Samsung brings out Galaxy S III Developer Edition for Verizon, answers the call for an unlockable bootloader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Samsung Developers (not yet active) | Email this | Comments
