Pre-release 'Motorola Droid' turns up on eBay

By Rory Reid on 22 November 2009, 6:31pm

You've got to love eBay. Yeah, it's chock-full of reflecto-porn and dirty second-hand furniture, but every now and then it's also a source for the latest and greatest gadgets -- or at least cleverly described junk masquerading as such.

According to Engadget, one of the most curious recent additions to the auction site is the highly sought-after Motorola Droid, aka the Motorola Milestone. Its seller describes it as a pre-release version -- one of five handsets that was intended for Motorola engineers. Apparently the phone is in perfect working order, runs Android 2.0 (Eclair), and is ready to activate.

Being a pre-release model, there are some differences between this and the final Droid. The seller says his product has a chrome bezel, not a black one, silver buttons instead of gold and 'enhanced LED lighting' on the front-facing buttons -- whatever that means.

Obviously, the listing could turn out to be a big, fat hoax, but then again, it may not. At the time of writing, it's reached a pretty reasonable $485 (£290), though with four days remaining on the auction, it could reach a quite ludicrous figure.

Familiarise yourself with the Milestone by checking some of our previous coverage, then head on over to eBay if you fancy a punt. Oh, and do let us know how you get on.