AT&T blocks non-market apps from Motorola Backflip

AT&T has locked down its new Android-powered Motorola Backflip smartphone, preventing subscribers from installing non-market apps from unknown sources. Previous Android devices from rival U.S. operators have included support for non-market apps as a default option--Android proponents tout installation of non-market software and beta applications as one of the open-source platform's biggest advantages over Apple's rival iPhone.

As of press time, AT&T had not responded to FierceMobileContent's request to clarify the decision. According to the xda-developers Forum, developers and consumers can work around the Backflip lockdown by installing the latest Android SDK and enabling the USB debugging option.

AT&T previously broke from Android convention by releasing the Backflip with Yahoo as its default mobile search engine instead of Google's own search tool. Most if not all previous Android devices launched in the U.S. arrived at retail with Google installed as the default search option, although Motorola earlier offered Chinese consumers the option to select Baidu as their primary search service.

For more on AT&T's Backflip release:
- read this ComputerWorld article

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