Now here’s something to get excited about. A landing page has gone up for the Verizon Galaxy S III “Developer Edition.” It’s a 32GB, Pebble Blue Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III that comes with a special treat: an unlockable bootloader! At this point in the game, an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III is as sweet as it gets.

What exactly does an “unlockable bootloader” mean? Well, for developers it’s a must. For you and I, it ensures we get the latest Android OS in a timely manner. Take Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) for instance. It’s already out and being pushed to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (GSM/HSPA+) but if you own a Samsung Galaxy S III (with a locked bootloader), you now have to wait on the manufacturers and carriers to test, approve, and then push the update to you.

The above process can be painstakingly slow, and sometimes doesn’t happen at all. My guess is, current SG3 owners won’t officially see Jelly Bean for another 3 to 6 months. Now, if you had an unlocked “Developer Edition” Samsung Galaxy S III, you could have Jelly Bean as soon as, well… today.

That’s one huge advantage of having an unlocked “developer” phone. Others advantages include a plethora of ROMs to flash, increased functionality and speed, personal customization, and best of all: getting rid of all the crapware manufacturers and carriers pollute your device with.

The Samsung Galaxy S III “Developer Edition” is only being sold directly through Samsung and will not be subsidized (which means you won’t be forced to lose any perks you have with Verizon). No current price is listed, but last we heard, it will retail for $599 (not bad considering Verizon charges $649 for full retail).

So if you’re looking to get a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III with no strings attached, this is the way to go. We’ll keep you updated to when the Developer Edition actually becomes available, or you can just keep checking the source link on your own.

• SourceSamsung
• ViaDroid-Life