Ever since the bootloader of the Galaxy S III for Verizon Wireless was cracked wide open, there's much less of a clamor for the Developer Edition of the handset from Samsung. That said, the unsubsidized smartphone is now available to purchase -- for backorder, anyway -- directly from the manufacturer, which gives all owners the ability to easily unlock the phone's bootloader and thus delight in the world of custom ROMs. As of now, only the Pebble Blue variant is available, but purchasers may choose from the 16GB ($600) or 32GB ($650) versions. We still maintain that Verizon Wireless gave its subscribers a pretty raw deal with the Galaxy S III, as all other carriers left it to the owner's discretion of whether to unlock their phone's bootloader. We wouldn't expect Big Red to change its tune any time soon, but you can take solace knowing that the hacking community and manufacturers have your back.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S III Developer Edition for Verizon Wireless now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.