A phone manufacturer supporting the development community? What a concept! Beyond a concept, it’s slowly coming a reality with the introduction of the GeeksPhone One. GeeksPhone is introducing a new concept, one beyond the typical handset manufacturer’s business model. This device is targeted at Android developers, specifically ROM and firmware developers. While their introductory device’s hardware might seem behind times, it is reported that they are working on new models also.
What makes this device different?
Most Android based handset manufacturers frown upon 3rd party development. This is likely because of proprietary software concerns as well as warranty issues. Motorola has come out and said plainly this. HTC, on the other hand, has not openly embraced the development community, however has made their base ROMs openly available on their site.
GeeksPhone took a simple step, placing the recovery image on it’s own partition, which does a lot to protect the phone from bricking. Beyond being a great protection, it should also encourage more people to get their hands dirty with Android.
With the mention of future handsets on the horizon, I’m really looking to see what’s on the table. With the release of a more powerful device, I could see myself owning a GeeksPhone in the future even though it would have to be imported.
