Google I/O attendees to receive free Nexus One or Droid

If you are pre-registered and paid to go to the Google I/O conference in May expect a package through your door soon. Google has decided that you will be receiving either a Motorola Droid or Nexus One smartphone for free.
Google is shipping the free smartphones before the conference because it wants everyone there to have an Android-based handset. As most of the conference will be centered around Android it makes sense that all attendees can run any demo code and new apps as they are being talked about.
TechCrunch got a copy of the e-mail Google is sending out to some 4,000 developers who are paying to attend. It looks as though the e-mail you receive determines which phone you are getting as this one states a Droid:

As you might have guessed, Android will have a big presence at this year’s event. To make sure you’re equipped to make the most of your Android experience during Google I/O, we’d like to mail you a Verizon Droid by Motorola before the event.

Unfortunately, you can’t pick which handset you want, but this is a freebie so no one can really complain.
Read more at TechCrunch
Matthew’s Opinion
Obviously some people are going to want to swap their Droid/Nexus One for the other. Some developers may not even need either phone. That is probably going to be good news for anyone wanting to buy either phone at a slightly cheaper price than at retail. No doubt some developers will put these up for sale on eBay.
The last date for telling Google where you want the phone shipped is April 18th. Delivery will then occur between two and four weeks later. So I would start watching eBay and Craigslist from the beginning of May to see if these start appearing for sale.
If you are wondering how good this free smartphone offer is, consider that attendees only paid $500 for a pass. Early bird registration cost $400.