AT&T intros first Android device, blocks non-market apps

AT&T has introduced its first Android-powered device, the Motorola Backflip smartphone, and it is reportedly preventing subscribers from installing non-Android Market apps from unknown sources, unlike previous Android devices from other US operators.

Other Android devices from AT&T's competitors have included support for non-market apps as a default option--something that is seen as an advantage over Apple's iPhone. As of press time, AT&T had not responded to sister publication FierceMobileContent's request to clarify the decision. According to the xda-developers Forum, developers and subscribers can work around the Backflip lockdown by installing the latest Android SDK and enabling the USB debugging option.

AT&T has also gone its own way by making Yahoo the default mobile search engine on the Backflip rather than Google.

For more:
- read this FierceMobileContent article

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