If you join the Android developer program, Google will sell you an unlocked Android phone that works on any mobile network. But it can't download paid applications from Google's very own app market.

The Android Market began offering price-tagged applications late last week - at least in the US - but developers wielding unlocked Googlephones soon discovered they couldn't download them, IDG News Service reports.

As it turns out, Google has prevented these developer phones from downloading any application that's copy protected, including paid apps.

Anyone who forks over $25 to join the official Android developer program can then purchase an unlocked version of the T-Mobile G1, the inaugural Googlephone. Price: $400. These phones give developers unfettered access to their hardware and software, and judging from a brief statement from Google, they can somehow circumvent the company's copy protection.