Here's how I got mine (today), but prepare to suffer :) You can buy an unlocked G1 from N web sites. I have a (very good) friend in California so naturally I asked him to buy one because in Bulgaria if I got a scam like "here's your contract-unlocked (but still SIM-locked) G1, go fuck yourself" I probably (99%) won't be able to get my money back (but in US it's quite easy). So he bought the SIM-unlocked phone from a web site, and they delivered the phone in (I think) 4 days. Then he verified it's unlocked (he tested it w/ his AT&T card and tested both calls and data connections) and sent it to me. Now, when you hear UPS, and you're outside US, stay FAR AWAY, use any other delivery service, just not UPS. He sent the phone via UPS and they delivered it in 9 *business* days, given that he used the fast (expedited or whatever it was called) service - the phone made a tour around US for 3 (or 4) days, and then stayed 4 (FOUR!!!) days in Koeln (Cologne), Germany.
Now the cost. The phone was $550 or something like that. Add shipping cost TO your friend (can't remember how much, but say $50). Add shipping cost to Italy (to BG it was around $200 - $200 bucks for a 2-week delivery that is). So it went to $800. And now, you get to release the phone from the customs. In Bulgaria VAT is 20%, so add ~$120 (to the $600) and then another 20% for the transport (you do ask your friend to ask whatever delivery service he'll be using to note in the invoice that the transport is on his behalf - my friend didn't say anything to UPS, they took the money (which I paid) and the VAT to the transport was billed to me at the customs). So in the end, I got my G1 for 550 (price) + 50 (shipping to him) + 200 (shipping to me) + 120 (VAT phone) + 40 (VAT transport) = $960. Now, if I wasn't working on a software for Android I hope I'll sell, I'd NEVER EVER spent $1K for a fucking phone (even if I'm billionaire), but that's life. Just fuck T-Mobile, and more specifically, ***fuck Apple*** for "inventing" the locked-to-service phone. Other than that, I *LOVE* my G1 ;) Cheers, Stoyan On Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 12:42 PM, Andrea Grandi <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi all, > > I'm an italian developer, and since Italy is not in the country list > where G1 is available for developers, I don't know if I can buy one. > Is there any way to get a G1 device? > > Thanks for your help. > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Beginners" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-beginners?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
