While reading through the forums of Expansys UK, I came across a rather disturbing post about the Sim-Free Motorola Milestone. This initial finding worried me, and got me searching for similar issues with Android devices. It did not take me long to find that this was indeed a problem with the SIM-Free HTC Hero. Posts on the Android Market forum showed numbers of angry users unable to find their favorite apps. I first called Expansys, to confirm this issue, and I am currently awaiting a response from their technical support representative.
Next, I tried to get in contact with Google directly, only to find that their phone-contact is limited to automated messages (unless you know the extension of the person you’re trying to contact). I therefore phoned Motorola’s UK Technical support line. The representative I was put through to was very quickly able to tell me that they believed that this indeed was a potential issue for the Milestone, however they were unable to confirm as they have been working on reports from the German markets, and did not have a UK device in the office to test with. The representative kindly offered to escalate the case, and I am expecting a callback from Motorola on this in the next couple of days.

Next I turned back to the internet to see if I could turn up any more information on this lockout. According to what I have found out so far, access to the Android Marketplace would be limited to free applications for the Milestone, at least at first..  I am forced to conclude that this is probably going to be the case. This is due to one or two reasons:

• Google have to ‘whitelist’ devices to access the full Marketplace. In the case of the SIM-free HTC Hero, access to the Marketplace was limited to free applications only for many months. The device was eventually ‘whitelisted’ and now has full access to the Marketplace. I was fortunate enough to have a Sim-Free HTC Hero available to test with, and I can confirm that this is indeed the case.

• The other reason behind the restricted access, may be to do with Developer handsets being made available to the general public. These handsets have unrestricted access to the root of the phone, allowing for a user to copy applications from one device to another, without paying for them. I am unsure if carriers can place extra restrictions upon branded/locked handsets, but this may explain why SIM-Free handsets will suffer. If this is the case, then it is an anti-piracy step that Google have taken to protect their developers.

Posts in the ‘Milestone: Missing apps in Market‘ and ‘Why block unlocked devices?‘ threads from the Google Marketplace forum indicate the above.

Will this fact stop me from purchasing a Milestone, or recommending it to friends & family?
No. For reasons I shall explain next.

Should you be worried about this and cancel your (pre)ordered device?
If there is a certain app that you absolutely cannot live without in the short-term, then maybe the Milestone isn’t for you right now, however, if you feel you can survive without that killer-app, then I’d stick with the Milestone. As the HTC Hero has proved, access to the marketplace will eventually be granted. Just be patient.The Milestone is available exclusively unlocked in the UK and German markets, and a phone-giant like Motorola will not allow for restricted access to burden the sale of their flagship device. Google are well aware of the issues surrounding the Milestone as there are multiple posts on the Android Marketplace forums. Google have invested interest in the Milestone / Droid as they worked with Motorola to design it from the ground up. To this end, I do not feel that the restricted access will be a permanent problem.

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I cannot yet confirm that the restricted access will in fact be a problem in the UK until the Milestone is officially released. Mine has not yet reported as shipped from Expansys, but I will post a report on this issue as soon as I have the device in my hands, and I will continue to post updates on this issue to my site and to the relevant forums as I receive them.

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Update: I have since been contacted by Motorola UK Customer Support. They have confirmed that the UK Sim-Free handsets will not have access to the paid-apps in the Marketplace, however they are working on a resolution to this. They have kept the case on record and relayed the above research to their management team. I guess we’ll find out for certain once we’ve received the devices.

Update: After receiving a SIM-Free Motorola Milestone from Expansys UK, I can confirm that there are no limitations on the Marketplace applications available to the device.

The Motorola Milestone / Droid is the product of a direct collaboration between Google and Motorola. Both companies have clearly taken a lot of product feedback from the previous HTC Devices, and come up with a device that will meet almost everyones needs. This is one of two devices that Motorola are releasing with a hardware keyboard, a feature not seen on an Android device since the HTC T-Mobile G1. Motorola have improved on this design no end, but created something that is both beautiful, and remarkably practical and robust.

The Milestone will be releasing in the UK with a few small but significant changes from the US Droid. The first, is full Mulitouch capability built into the OS. The US model currently doesn’t currently support this on the inbuilt software, however future updates as well as third party software are already able to take advantage of the feature. The next most significant change is that the European versions will not (yet) get Google’s free Turn-by-Turn navigation. Instead, the device will ship with (a trial of?) Motorola Motonav. I would expect Google Navigation to make an appearance eventually, however the theory is that it has been held up by the owners of the Euro mapping data – Tele Atlas (TomTom). The last difference, is the US model shipping with a 16GB MicroSD, while in Europe we will only enjoy a complementary 8GB MicroSD. With the current prices of Flash Memory, I don’t believe that this will upset anyone.

The Droid has already been attracting a lot of attention after its US preview and release, with it being toted as a direct Apple iPhone 3GS rival. This could be down to the iPhone exclusivity to AT&T, with the Droid being offered exclusively on Verison. Indeed, early reviews of the product praise the Verison network when the device is being compared to the iPhone.

The Milestone / Droid boasts the first phone running Google Android 2.0, a mobile operating system that has come along in leaps and bounds (with 2.1 already due before the onset of 2010). Its hard to believe that an operating system that was released a year ago, and announced only 2 years ago is already aiming for the top-spot among the current heavyweights of Symbian and iPhone OS. Android seems to be giving people just what they want from devices, especially if people don’t want to be locked in with an Apple device. With more enhancements for the already feature-packed operating system on the horizon, and the possibility of free turn-by-turn Navigation, the current phone giants have got their work cut out for them.

My Milestone is already on pre-order from Expansys, and I will try to post a review of the product as soon as I receive it, and have had a play. Keep checking back.

Useful links

Motorola Milestone product page (UK)

Motorola Droid product page (US)