diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Address.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Address.java
index 7faa0b49e7..fb6b3000aa 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Address.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Address.java
@@ -75,9 +75,15 @@ public class Address {
          return addr(from.getAddr()).version(from.getVersion());
       }
    }
-
-   protected final String addr;
-   protected final int version;
+   
+   protected Address() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
+   protected String addr;
+   protected int version;
 
    public Address(String addr, int version) {
       this.addr = addr;
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Extension.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Extension.java
index 6291c495c7..25d2a922d0 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Extension.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Extension.java
@@ -105,11 +105,17 @@ public class Extension extends Resource {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
-   private final URI namespace;
-   private final String alias;
-   private final Date updated;
-   private final String description;
+   
+   protected Extension() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
+   private URI namespace;
+   private String alias;
+   private Date updated;
+   private String description;
 
    protected Extension(Builder<?> builder) {
       super(builder);
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Flavor.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Flavor.java
index 6462539625..9aa94c14cc 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Flavor.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Flavor.java
@@ -122,15 +122,21 @@ public class Flavor extends Resource {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
+   
+   protected Flavor() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
    private int ram;
    private int disk;
    private int vcpus;
-   private final Optional<String> swap;
+   private Optional<String> swap = Optional.absent();
    @SerializedName("rxtx_factor")
-   private final Optional<Double> rxtxFactor;
+   private Optional<Double> rxtxFactor = Optional.absent();
    @SerializedName("OS-FLV-EXT-DATA:ephemeral")
-   private final Optional<Integer> ephemeral;
+   private Optional<Integer> ephemeral = Optional.absent();
 
    protected Flavor(Builder<?> builder) {
       super(builder);
@@ -142,12 +148,6 @@ public class Flavor extends Resource {
       this.ephemeral = Optional.fromNullable(builder.ephemeral);
    }
 
-   protected Flavor() {
-      this.swap = Optional.absent();
-      this.rxtxFactor = Optional.absent();
-      this.ephemeral = Optional.absent();
-   }
-
    public int getRam() {
       return this.ram;
    }
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/FloatingIP.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/FloatingIP.java
index fad8643619..c69bd6cf5c 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/FloatingIP.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/FloatingIP.java
@@ -76,7 +76,13 @@ public class FloatingIP implements Comparable<FloatingIP> {
       }
 
    }
-
+   
+   protected FloatingIP() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
    private String id;
    private String ip;
    @SerializedName("fixed_ip")
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Host.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Host.java
index 2a4fedbf7b..6ed99745b2 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Host.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Host.java
@@ -72,10 +72,16 @@ public class Host {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
+   
+   protected Host() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
    @SerializedName(value="host_name")
-   private final String name;
-   private final String service;
+   private String name;
+   private String service;
 
    protected Host(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.name = builder.name;
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/HostAggregate.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/HostAggregate.java
index 6017843fe3..b3e018ce52 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/HostAggregate.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/HostAggregate.java
@@ -154,19 +154,25 @@ public class HostAggregate {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
-   private final String id;
-   private final String name;
+   
+   protected HostAggregate() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   private String id;
+   private String name;
    @SerializedName(value = "availability_zone")
-   private final String availabilityZone;
-   private final Set<String> hosts;
+   private String availabilityZone;
+   private Set<String> hosts = ImmutableSet.of();
    @SerializedName(value = "operational_state")
-   private final String state;
+   private String state;
    @SerializedName(value = "created_at")
-   private final Date created;
+   private Date created;
    @SerializedName(value = "updated_at")
-   private final Optional<Date> updated;
-   private final Map<String, String> metadata;
+   private Optional<Date> updated = Optional.absent();
+   private Map<String, String> metadata = ImmutableMap.of();
 
    protected HostAggregate(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(builder.id, "id");
@@ -179,18 +185,6 @@ public class HostAggregate {
       this.metadata = ImmutableMap.copyOf(checkNotNull(builder.metadata, "metadata"));
    }
 
-   // Ensure GSON parsed objects don't have null collections or optionals
-   protected HostAggregate() {
-      this.id = null;
-      this.name = null;
-      this.availabilityZone = null;
-      this.hosts = ImmutableSet.of();
-      this.state = null;
-      this.created = null;
-      this.updated = Optional.absent();
-      this.metadata = ImmutableMap.of();
-   }
-
    public String getId() {
       return this.id;
    }
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/HostResourceUsage.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/HostResourceUsage.java
index e8dbbd1301..649549fe54 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/HostResourceUsage.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/HostResourceUsage.java
@@ -95,14 +95,20 @@ public class HostResourceUsage {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
-   private final String host;
-   private final String project;
+   
+   protected HostResourceUsage() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   private String host;
+   private String project;
    @SerializedName(value="memory_mb")
-   private final int memoryMb;
-   private final int cpu;
+   private int memoryMb;
+   private int cpu;
    @SerializedName(value="disk_gb")
-   private final int diskGb;
+   private int diskGb;
 
    protected HostResourceUsage(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.host = checkNotNull(builder.host, "host");
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Image.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Image.java
index 28196bf454..dc374b8b57 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Image.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Image.java
@@ -191,19 +191,25 @@ public class Image extends Resource {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
-   private final Date updated;
-   private final Date created;
+   
+   protected Image() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   private Date updated;
+   private Date created;
    @SerializedName("tenant_id")
-   private final String tenantId;
+   private String tenantId;
    @SerializedName("user_id")
-   private final String userId;
-   private final Status status;
-   private final int progress;
-   private final int minDisk;
-   private final int minRam;
-   private final Resource server;
-   private final Map<String, String> metadata;
+   private String userId;
+   private Status status;
+   private int progress;
+   private int minDisk;
+   private int minRam;
+   private Resource server;
+   private Map<String, String> metadata = ImmutableMap.of();
 
    protected Image(Builder<?> builder) {
       super(builder);
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Ingress.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Ingress.java
index 1f76d0e817..1163124a1d 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Ingress.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Ingress.java
@@ -73,13 +73,19 @@ public class Ingress {
          return new Ingress(ipProtocol, fromPort, toPort);
       }
    }
-
+   
+   protected Ingress() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    @SerializedName(value = "ip_protocol")
-   protected final IpProtocol ipProtocol;
+   protected IpProtocol ipProtocol;
    @SerializedName(value = "from_port")
-   protected final int fromPort;
+   protected int fromPort;
    @SerializedName(value = "to_port")
-   protected final int toPort;
+   protected int toPort;
 
    protected Ingress(IpProtocol ipProtocol, int fromPort, int toPort) {
       this.fromPort = fromPort;
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/KeyPair.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/KeyPair.java
index 46fa9afc0f..b979b205ce 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/KeyPair.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/KeyPair.java
@@ -76,15 +76,21 @@ public class KeyPair implements Comparable<KeyPair> {
       }
 
    }
-
+   
+   protected KeyPair() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    @SerializedName("public_key")
-   String publicKey;
+   private String publicKey;
    @SerializedName("private_key")
-   String privateKey;
+   private String privateKey;
    @SerializedName("user_id")
-   String userId;
-   String name;
-   String fingerprint;
+   private String userId;
+   private String name;
+   private String fingerprint;
 
    protected KeyPair(String publicKey, String privateKey, @Nullable String userId, String name, String fingerprint) {
       this.publicKey = publicKey;
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Quotas.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Quotas.java
index cb44d57cca..9228f4d896 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Quotas.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Quotas.java
@@ -187,28 +187,34 @@ public class Quotas {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
+   
+   protected Quotas() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    @SerializedName("id")
-   private final String id;
+   private String id;
    @SerializedName("metadata_items")
-   private final int metadataItems;
+   private int metadataItems;
    @SerializedName("injected_file_content_bytes")
-   private final int injectedFileContentBytes;
-   private final int volumes;
-   private final int gigabytes;
-   private final int ram;
+   private int injectedFileContentBytes;
+   private int volumes;
+   private int gigabytes;
+   private int ram;
    @SerializedName("floating_ips")
-   private final int floatingIps;
-   private final int instances;
+   private int floatingIps;
+   private int instances;
    @SerializedName("injected_files")
-   private final int injectedFiles;
-   private final int cores;
+   private int injectedFiles;
+   private int cores;
    @SerializedName("security_groups")
-   private final int securityGroups;
+   private int securityGroups;
    @SerializedName("security_group_rules")
-   private final int securityGroupRules;
+   private int securityGroupRules;
    @SerializedName("key_pairs")
-   private final int keyPairs;
+   private int keyPairs;
 
    protected Quotas(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(builder.id, "id");
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SecurityGroup.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SecurityGroup.java
index 1b1665bc4b..f1b635501b 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SecurityGroup.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SecurityGroup.java
@@ -102,13 +102,19 @@ public class SecurityGroup {
       }
 
    }
-
-   protected final String id;
+   
+   protected SecurityGroup() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   protected String id;
    @SerializedName("tenant_id")
-   protected final String tenantId;
-   protected final String name;
-   protected final String description;
-   protected final Set<SecurityGroupRule> rules;
+   protected String tenantId;
+   protected String name;
+   protected String description;
+   protected Set<SecurityGroupRule> rules = ImmutableSet.of();
 
    protected SecurityGroup(String id, String tenantId, @Nullable String name, @Nullable String description,
             Set<SecurityGroupRule> rules) {
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SecurityGroupRule.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SecurityGroupRule.java
index a312a01f4c..d1895fc79d 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SecurityGroupRule.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SecurityGroupRule.java
@@ -95,13 +95,19 @@ public class SecurityGroupRule extends Ingress {
       }
 
    }
-
-   protected final String id;
-
-   protected final TenantIdAndName group;
-
+   
+   protected SecurityGroupRule() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   protected String id;
+   protected TenantIdAndName group;
    @SerializedName(value = "parent_group_id")
-   protected final String parentGroupId;
+   protected String parentGroupId;
+   @SerializedName(value = "ip_range")
+   protected Cidr ipRange;
 
    // type to get around unnecessary structure
    private static class Cidr extends ForwardingObject {
@@ -117,8 +123,6 @@ public class SecurityGroupRule extends Ingress {
       }
    }
 
-   @SerializedName(value = "ip_range")
-   protected final Cidr ipRange;
 
    protected SecurityGroupRule(IpProtocol ipProtocol, int fromPort, int toPort, String id, String parentGroupId,
             @Nullable TenantIdAndName group, @Nullable String ipRange) {
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Server.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Server.java
index 9594e0619d..0cf4b8a6a2 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Server.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Server.java
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ import com.google.common.base.Objects.ToStringHelper;
 import com.google.common.base.Optional;
 import com.google.common.base.Predicates;
 import com.google.common.base.Strings;
-import com.google.common.base.Objects.ToStringHelper;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMultimap;
 import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
@@ -302,38 +301,41 @@ public class Server extends Resource {
       }
    }
    
-   private final String uuid;
+   protected Server() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   private String uuid;
    @SerializedName("tenant_id")
-   private final String tenantId;
+   private String tenantId;
    @SerializedName("user_id")
-   private final String userId;
-   private final Date updated;
-   private final Date created;
-   private final String hostId;
-   private final String accessIPv4;
-   private final String accessIPv6;
-   private final Status status;
-   private final Resource image;
-   private final Resource flavor;
+   private String userId;
+   private Date updated;
+   private Date created;
+   private String hostId;
+   private String accessIPv4;
+   private String accessIPv6;
+   private Status status;
+   private Resource image;
+   private Resource flavor;
    @SerializedName("key_name")
-   private final String keyName;
+   private String keyName;
    @SerializedName("config_drive")
-   private final String configDrive;
+   private String configDrive;
    // TODO: get gson multimap adapter!
-   private final Map<String, Set<Address>> addresses;
-   private final Map<String, String> metadata;
-
+   private Map<String, Set<Address>> addresses = ImmutableMap.of();
+   private Map<String, String> metadata = ImmutableMap.of();
    // Extended status extension
    // @Prefixed("OS-EXT-STS:")
-   private final Optional<ServerExtendedStatus> extendedStatus;
-
+   private Optional<ServerExtendedStatus> extendedStatus = Optional.absent();
    // Extended server attributes extension
    // @Prefixed("OS-EXT-SRV-ATTR:")
-   private final Optional<ServerExtendedAttributes> extendedAttributes;
-
+   private Optional<ServerExtendedAttributes> extendedAttributes = Optional.absent();
    // Disk Config extension
    @SerializedName("OS-DCF:diskConfig")
-   private final Optional<String> diskConfig;
+   private Optional<String> diskConfig = Optional.absent();
 
    protected Server(Builder<?> builder) {
       super(builder);
@@ -357,28 +359,6 @@ public class Server extends Resource {
       this.diskConfig = builder.diskConfig == null ? Optional.<String>absent() : Optional.of(builder.diskConfig);
    }
 
-   protected Server() {
-      // for GSON
-      this.uuid = null;
-      this.tenantId = null;
-      this.userId = null;
-      this.updated = null;
-      this.created = null;
-      this.hostId = null;
-      this.accessIPv4 = null;
-      this.accessIPv6 = null;
-      this.status = null;
-      this.configDrive = null;
-      this.image = null;
-      this.flavor = null;
-      this.metadata = ImmutableMap.of();
-      this.addresses = ImmutableMap.of();
-      this.keyName = null;
-      this.extendedStatus = Optional.absent();
-      this.extendedAttributes = Optional.absent();
-      this.diskConfig = Optional.absent();
-  }
-
    /**
     * only present until the id is in uuid form
     * 
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerCreated.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerCreated.java
index 607b2f3ae4..6ca7505385 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerCreated.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerCreated.java
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
  */
 package org.jclouds.openstack.nova.v1_1.domain;
 
-import org.jclouds.javax.annotation.Nullable;
 import org.jclouds.openstack.domain.Resource;
 
 import com.google.common.base.Objects.ToStringHelper;
@@ -68,17 +67,19 @@ public class ServerCreated extends Resource {
       }
    }
    
-   private final String adminPass;
+   protected ServerCreated() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   private String adminPass;
 
    protected ServerCreated(Builder<?> builder) {
       super(builder);
       this.adminPass = builder.adminPass;
    }
 
-   protected ServerCreated() {
-      this.adminPass =null;
-  }
-
    /**
     * @return the administrative password for this server. Note: this is not available in Server responses.
     */
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerExtendedAttributes.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerExtendedAttributes.java
index 9dcd471e8b..bf43cfeac0 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerExtendedAttributes.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerExtendedAttributes.java
@@ -93,12 +93,18 @@ public class ServerExtendedAttributes {
       }
    }
    
+   protected ServerExtendedAttributes() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    @SerializedName(value=PREFIX + "instance_name")
-   private final String instanceName;
+   private String instanceName;
    @SerializedName(value=PREFIX + "host")
-   private final String hostName;
+   private String hostName;
    @SerializedName(value=PREFIX + "hypervisor_hostname")
-   private final String hypervisorHostName;
+   private String hypervisorHostName;
 
    protected ServerExtendedAttributes(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.instanceName = builder.instanceName;
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerExtendedStatus.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerExtendedStatus.java
index 02908d4a66..1d64089d42 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerExtendedStatus.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerExtendedStatus.java
@@ -94,25 +94,25 @@ public class ServerExtendedStatus {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
+   
+   protected ServerExtendedStatus() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    @SerializedName(value=PREFIX + "task_state")
-   private final String taskState;
+   private String taskState;
    @SerializedName(value=PREFIX + "vm_state")
-   private final String vmState;
+   private String vmState;
    @SerializedName(value=PREFIX + "power_state")
-   private final int powerState;
+   private int powerState = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
 
    protected ServerExtendedStatus(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.taskState = builder.taskState;
       this.vmState = builder.vmState;
       this.powerState = builder.powerState;
    }
-
-   protected ServerExtendedStatus() {
-      this.taskState = null;
-      this.vmState = null;
-      this.powerState = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
-   }
    
    @Nullable
    public String getTaskState() {
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerWithSecurityGroups.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerWithSecurityGroups.java
index bfe1d3ca83..fb294a4cfd 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerWithSecurityGroups.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/ServerWithSecurityGroups.java
@@ -73,9 +73,15 @@ public class ServerWithSecurityGroups extends Server {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
+   
+   protected ServerWithSecurityGroups() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    @SerializedName(value="security_groups")
-   private final Set<String> securityGroupNames;
+   private Set<String> securityGroupNames = ImmutableSet.of();
 
    protected ServerWithSecurityGroups(Builder<?> builder) {
       super(builder);
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SimpleServerUsage.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SimpleServerUsage.java
index c199924b61..1fd7232fec 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SimpleServerUsage.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SimpleServerUsage.java
@@ -159,27 +159,33 @@ public class SimpleServerUsage {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
+   
+   protected SimpleServerUsage() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    @SerializedName("name")
-   private final String instanceName;
-   private final double hours;
+   private String instanceName;
+   private double hours;
    @SerializedName("memory_mb")
-   private final double flavorMemoryMb;
+   private double flavorMemoryMb;
    @SerializedName("local_gb")
-   private final double flavorLocalGb;
+   private double flavorLocalGb;
    @SerializedName("vcpus")
-   private final double flavorVcpus;
+   private double flavorVcpus;
    @SerializedName("tenant_id")
-   private final String tenantId;
+   private String tenantId;
    @SerializedName("flavor")
-   private final String flavorName;
+   private String flavorName;
    @SerializedName("started_at")
-   private final Date instanceCreated;
+   private Date instanceCreated;
    @SerializedName("ended_at")
-   private final Date instanceTerminiated;
+   private Date instanceTerminiated;
    @SerializedName("state")
-   private final Status instanceStatus;
-   private final long uptime;
+   private Status instanceStatus;
+   private long uptime;
 
    private SimpleServerUsage(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.instanceName = checkNotNull(builder.instanceName, "instanceName");
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SimpleTenantUsage.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SimpleTenantUsage.java
index b4b20ddd2e..882177ae5d 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SimpleTenantUsage.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/SimpleTenantUsage.java
@@ -123,21 +123,27 @@ public class SimpleTenantUsage {
          return this;
       }
    }
-
+   
+   protected SimpleTenantUsage() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    @SerializedName("tenant_id")
-   private final String tenantId;
+   private String tenantId;
    @SerializedName("total_local_gb_usage")
-   private final double totalLocalGbUsage;
+   private double totalLocalGbUsage;
    @SerializedName("total_vcpus_usage")
-   private final double totalVcpusUsage;
+   private double totalVcpusUsage;
    @SerializedName("total_memory_mb_usage")
-   private final double totalMemoryMbUsage;
+   private double totalMemoryMbUsage;
    @SerializedName("total_hours")
-   private final double totalHours;
-   private final Date start;
-   private final Date stop;
+   private double totalHours;
+   private Date start;
+   private Date stop;
    @SerializedName("server_usages")
-   private final Set<SimpleServerUsage> serverUsages;
+   private Set<SimpleServerUsage> serverUsages = ImmutableSet.of();
 
    private SimpleTenantUsage(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.tenantId = builder.tenantId;
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/TenantIdAndName.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/TenantIdAndName.java
index d203dfd34f..f2019269df 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/TenantIdAndName.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/TenantIdAndName.java
@@ -31,9 +31,15 @@ import com.google.gson.annotations.SerializedName;
  */
 public class TenantIdAndName {
 
+   protected TenantIdAndName() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    @SerializedName("tenant_id")
-   protected final String tenantId;
-   protected final String name;
+   protected String tenantId;
+   protected String name;
 
    public TenantIdAndName(String tenantId, String name) {
       this.tenantId = checkNotNull(tenantId, "tenantId");
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VirtualInterface.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VirtualInterface.java
index b35dbea7af..d333611ff4 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VirtualInterface.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VirtualInterface.java
@@ -82,9 +82,15 @@ public class VirtualInterface {
       }
    }
 
-   private final String id;
+   protected VirtualInterface() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   private String id;
    @SerializedName(value="mac_address")
-   private final String macAddress;
+   private String macAddress;
 
    protected VirtualInterface(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(builder.id, "id");
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Volume.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Volume.java
index ad581a650c..5f299fb401 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Volume.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/Volume.java
@@ -177,21 +177,27 @@ public class Volume {
       }
    }
 
-   private final String id;
-   private final Status status;
-   private final int size;
+   protected Volume() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   private String id;
+   private Status status;
+   private int size;
    @SerializedName(value="availabilityZone")
-   private final String zone;
+   private String zone;
    @SerializedName(value="createdAt")
-   private final Date created;
-   private final Set<VolumeAttachment> attachments;
-   private final String volumeType;   
-   private final String snapshotId;
+   private Date created;
+   private Set<VolumeAttachment> attachments = ImmutableSet.of();
+   private String volumeType;   
+   private String snapshotId;
    @SerializedName(value="displayName")
-   private final String name;
+   private String name;
    @SerializedName(value="displayDescription")
-   private final String description;
-   private final Map<String, String> metadata;
+   private String description;
+   private Map<String, String> metadata = ImmutableMap.of();
 
    protected Volume(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.id = builder.id;
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeAttachment.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeAttachment.java
index bc33a0ba63..12b48c338d 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeAttachment.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeAttachment.java
@@ -92,10 +92,16 @@ public class VolumeAttachment {
       }
    }
 
-   private final String id;
-   private final String volumeId;
-   private final String serverId;
-   private final String device;
+   protected VolumeAttachment() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   private String id;
+   private String volumeId;
+   private String serverId;
+   private String device;
 
    protected VolumeAttachment(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(builder.id, "id");
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeSnapshot.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeSnapshot.java
index d79d3d3231..8f0754da7d 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeSnapshot.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeSnapshot.java
@@ -119,16 +119,22 @@ public class VolumeSnapshot {
       }
    }
 
-   private final String id;
-   private final String volumeId;
-   private final Volume.Status status;
-   private final int size;
+   protected VolumeSnapshot() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   private String id;
+   private String volumeId;
+   private Volume.Status status;
+   private int size;
    @SerializedName(value="createdAt")
-   private final Date created;
+   private Date created;
    @SerializedName(value="displayName")
-   private final String name;
+   private String name;
    @SerializedName(value="displayDescription")
-   private final String description;
+   private String description;
 
    protected VolumeSnapshot(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(builder.id, "id");
diff --git a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeType.java b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeType.java
index c8480cefe5..9fe73ef01e 100644
--- a/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeType.java
+++ b/apis/openstack-nova/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/nova/v1_1/domain/VolumeType.java
@@ -116,14 +116,20 @@ public class VolumeType {
       }
    }
 
+   protected VolumeType() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
    private String id;
    private String name;
    @SerializedName("created_at")
    private Date created;
    @SerializedName("updated_at")
-   private final Optional<Date> updated;
+   private Optional<Date> updated = Optional.absent();
    @SerializedName(value = "extra_specs")
-   private final Map<String, String> extraSpecs;
+   private Map<String, String> extraSpecs = ImmutableMap.of();
 
    protected VolumeType(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(builder.id, "id");
@@ -133,11 +139,6 @@ public class VolumeType {
       this.updated = Optional.fromNullable(builder.updated);
    }
 
-   protected VolumeType() {
-      this.updated = Optional.absent();
-      this.extraSpecs = ImmutableMap.of();
-   }
-
    public String getId() {
       return this.id;
    }
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/AuthenticationResponse.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/AuthenticationResponse.java
index 6311c657f1..5b36ad63d0 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/AuthenticationResponse.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/AuthenticationResponse.java
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 
 public class AuthenticationResponse {
    private final String authToken;
-   private Map<String, URI> services;
+   private final Map<String, URI> services;
 
    public AuthenticationResponse(String authToken, Map<String, URI> services) {
       this.authToken = checkNotNull(authToken, "authToken");
@@ -38,11 +38,7 @@ public class AuthenticationResponse {
    public Map<String, URI> getServices() {
       return services;
    }
-
-   public void setEndpoints(Map<String, URI> services) {
-      this.services = services;
-   }
-
+   
    public String getAuthToken() {
       return authToken;
    }
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/Link.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/Link.java
index 1adf14abed..0a7ca38410 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/Link.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/Link.java
@@ -133,11 +133,17 @@ public class Link {
          return relation(from.getRelation()).type(from.getType()).href(from.getHref());
       }
    }
+  
+   protected Link() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
 
    @SerializedName("rel")
-   protected final Relation relation;
-   protected final String type;
-   protected final URI href;
+   protected Relation relation;
+   protected String type;
+   protected URI href;
 
    protected Link(Relation relation, @Nullable String type, URI href) {
       this.relation = checkNotNull(relation, "relation");
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/Resource.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/Resource.java
index a05e4b55e5..60dceef752 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/Resource.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/domain/Resource.java
@@ -105,23 +105,23 @@ public class Resource implements Comparable<Resource> {
          return this;
       }
    }
+   
+   protected Resource() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
 
-   private final String id;
-   private final String name;
-   private final Set<Link> links;
+   private String id;
+   private String name;
+   private Set<Link> links = ImmutableSet.of();
 
    protected Resource(Builder<?> builder) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(builder.id, "id");
       this.name = builder.name;
       this.links = ImmutableSet.copyOf(checkNotNull(builder.links, "links"));
    }
-
-   protected Resource() {
-      this.id = null;
-      this.name = null;
-      this.links = ImmutableSet.of();
-   }
-
+   
    /**
     * When providing an ID, it is assumed that the resource exists in the current OpenStack
     * deployment
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Auth.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Auth.java
index e37ab75ded..396ce78ffa 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Auth.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Auth.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import java.util.Set;
 import org.jclouds.util.Multimaps2;
 
 import com.google.common.base.Objects;
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMultimap;
 import com.google.common.collect.Multimap;
 
@@ -78,9 +79,15 @@ public class Auth implements Comparable<Auth> {
       }
    }
 
-   protected final Token token;
+   protected Auth() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   protected Token token;
    // TODO: get gson multimap adapter!
-   protected final Map<String, Set<Endpoint>> serviceCatalog;
+   protected Map<String, Set<Endpoint>> serviceCatalog = ImmutableMap.of();
 
    public Auth(Token token, Multimap<String, Endpoint> serviceCatalog) {
       this.token = checkNotNull(token, "token");
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Endpoint.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Endpoint.java
index 7486b3198b..3ab554706d 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Endpoint.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Endpoint.java
@@ -99,10 +99,16 @@ public class Endpoint implements Comparable<Endpoint> {
       }
    }
 
-   protected final boolean v1Default;
-   protected final String region;
-   protected final URI publicURL;
-   protected final URI internalURL;
+   protected Endpoint() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   protected boolean v1Default;
+   protected String region;
+   protected URI publicURL;
+   protected URI internalURL;
 
    protected Endpoint(boolean v1Default, @Nullable String region, @Nullable  URI publicURL, @Nullable URI internalURL) {
       this.v1Default = v1Default;
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Token.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Token.java
index e8edb38680..4a48cce928 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Token.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v1_1/domain/Token.java
@@ -80,8 +80,14 @@ public class Token implements Comparable<Token> {
       }
    }
 
-   protected final String id;
-   protected final Date expires;
+   protected Token() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   protected String id;
+   protected Date expires;
 
    public Token(String id, Date expires) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(id, "id");
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Access.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Access.java
index 65a93e508c..b6e9e57560 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Access.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Access.java
@@ -89,9 +89,16 @@ public class Access implements Comparable<Access> {
       }
    }
 
-   protected final Token token;
-   protected final User user;
-   protected final Set<Service> serviceCatalog;
+
+   protected Access() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+
+   protected Token token;
+   protected User user;
+   protected Set<Service> serviceCatalog = ImmutableSet.of();
 
    public Access(Token token, User user, Set<Service> serviceCatalog) {
       this.token = checkNotNull(token, "token");
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/ApiMetadata.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/ApiMetadata.java
index ef4f0bfe48..768ad8c8c5 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/ApiMetadata.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/ApiMetadata.java
@@ -94,14 +94,20 @@ public class ApiMetadata extends Resource {
          return this;
       }
    }
+   
+   protected ApiMetadata() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
 
    @Nullable
-   private final String status;
+   private String status;
    @Nullable
-   private final Date updated;
+   private Date updated;
    @SerializedName(value="media-types")
    @Nullable
-   private final Set<MediaType> mediaTypes;
+   private Set<MediaType> mediaTypes = ImmutableSet.of();
 
    protected ApiMetadata(Builder<?> builder) {
       super(builder);
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Endpoint.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Endpoint.java
index 0b57843d22..fc3c58e440 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Endpoint.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Endpoint.java
@@ -115,19 +115,26 @@ public class Endpoint implements Comparable<Endpoint> {
                   from.getInternalURL()).tenantId(from.getTenantId());
       }
    }
+   
+   protected Endpoint() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
    // renamed half-way through
    @Deprecated
    protected String id;
-   protected final String versionId;
-   protected final String region;
-   protected final URI publicURL;
-   protected final URI internalURL;
-   protected final URI adminURL;
+   protected String versionId;
+   protected String region;
+   protected URI publicURL;
+   protected URI internalURL;
+   protected URI adminURL;
    
    // renamed half-way through
    @Deprecated
    protected String tenantName;
-   protected final String tenantId;
+   protected String tenantId;
 
    protected Endpoint(String versionId, String region, @Nullable URI publicURL, @Nullable URI internalURL,
             @Nullable URI adminURL, @Nullable String tenantId) {
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/MediaType.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/MediaType.java
index cb3cf6d071..015b69a358 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/MediaType.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/MediaType.java
@@ -59,9 +59,15 @@ public class MediaType {
          return this.base(in.getBase()).type(in.getType());
       }
    }
-
-   private final String base;
-   private final String type;
+   
+   protected MediaType() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
+   private String base;
+   private String type;
 
    protected MediaType(Builder builder) {
       this.base = builder.base;
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Role.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Role.java
index 714e143561..3e7342ee31 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Role.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Role.java
@@ -96,14 +96,20 @@ public class Role implements Comparable<Role> {
          return id(from.getId()).name(from.getName()).serviceId(from.getServiceId()).tenantId(from.getTenantId());
       }
    }
-
-   protected final String id;
-   protected final String name;
-   protected final String serviceId;
+   
+   protected Role() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
+   protected String id;
+   protected String name;
+   protected String serviceId;
    // renamed half-way through
    @Deprecated
    protected String tenantName;
-   protected final String tenantId;
+   protected String tenantId;
 
    protected Role(String id, String name, @Nullable String serviceId, @Nullable String tenantId) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(id, "id");
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Service.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Service.java
index 6f8d579f74..2da7bab460 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Service.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Service.java
@@ -90,10 +90,16 @@ public class Service implements Comparable<Service> {
          return type(from.getType()).name(from.getName()).endpoints(from.getEndpoints());
       }
    }
-
-   protected final String type;
-   protected final String name;
-   protected final Set<Endpoint> endpoints;
+   
+   protected Service() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
+   protected String type;
+   protected String name;
+   protected Set<Endpoint> endpoints = ImmutableSet.of();
 
    public Service(String type, String name, Set<Endpoint> endpoints) {
       this.type = checkNotNull(type, "type");
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Tenant.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Tenant.java
index b0efc5365c..d39735074f 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Tenant.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Tenant.java
@@ -82,10 +82,16 @@ public class Tenant implements Comparable<Tenant> {
          return id(from.getId()).name(from.getName());
       }
    }
-
-   protected final String id;
-   protected final String name;
-   protected final String description;
+   
+   protected Tenant() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
+   protected String id;
+   protected String name;
+   protected String description;
 
    protected Tenant(String id, String name, String description) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(id, "id");
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Token.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Token.java
index ebdfa9ecef..171ed7db4f 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Token.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/Token.java
@@ -87,10 +87,16 @@ public class Token implements Comparable<Token> {
          return id(from.getId()).expires(from.getExpires()).tenant(from.getTenant());
       }
    }
-
-   protected final String id;
-   protected final Date expires;
-   protected final Tenant tenant;
+   
+   protected Token() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
+   protected String id;
+   protected Date expires;
+   protected Tenant tenant;
 
    public Token(String id, Date expires, Tenant tenant) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(id, "id");
diff --git a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/User.java b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/User.java
index e8d5ff7dcb..b6b19cd859 100644
--- a/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/User.java
+++ b/common/openstack/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/keystone/v2_0/domain/User.java
@@ -93,22 +93,22 @@ public class User implements Comparable<User> {
          return id(from.getId()).name(from.getName()).roles(from.getRoles());
       }
    }
-
-   protected final String id;
-   protected final String name;
-   protected final Set<Role> roles;
+   
+   protected User() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+   
+   protected String id;
+   protected String name;
+   protected Set<Role> roles = ImmutableSet.of();
 
    protected User(String id, String name, Set<Role> roles) {
       this.id = checkNotNull(id, "id");
       this.name = checkNotNull(name, "name");
       this.roles = ImmutableSet.copyOf(checkNotNull(roles, "roles"));
    }
-   
-   protected User() {
-      id = null;
-      name = null;
-      roles = ImmutableSet.of();
-   }
 
    /**
     * When providing an ID, it is assumed that the user exists in the current OpenStack deployment
diff --git a/labs/openstack-swift/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/swift/v1/domain/AccountMetadata.java b/labs/openstack-swift/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/swift/v1/domain/AccountMetadata.java
index 61a53d5c4a..18c1801ced 100644
--- a/labs/openstack-swift/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/swift/v1/domain/AccountMetadata.java
+++ b/labs/openstack-swift/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/swift/v1/domain/AccountMetadata.java
@@ -49,8 +49,14 @@ public class AccountMetadata {
       }
    }
 
-   protected final int containerCount;
-   protected final long bytesUsed;
+   protected AccountMetadata() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   protected int containerCount;
+   protected long bytesUsed;
 
    public AccountMetadata(int containerCount, long bytesUsed) {
       this.containerCount = containerCount;
diff --git a/labs/openstack-swift/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/swift/v1/domain/ContainerMetadata.java b/labs/openstack-swift/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/swift/v1/domain/ContainerMetadata.java
index 2852022535..18e0018ef8 100644
--- a/labs/openstack-swift/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/swift/v1/domain/ContainerMetadata.java
+++ b/labs/openstack-swift/src/main/java/org/jclouds/openstack/swift/v1/domain/ContainerMetadata.java
@@ -65,9 +65,15 @@ public class ContainerMetadata implements Comparable<ContainerMetadata> {
       }
    }
 
-   protected final String name;
-   protected final int count;
-   protected final int bytes;
+   protected ContainerMetadata() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
+  
+   protected String name;
+   protected int count;
+   protected int bytes;
 
    public ContainerMetadata(String name, int count, int bytes) {
       this.name = checkNotNull(name, "name");
diff --git a/providers/hpcloud-objectstorage/src/main/java/org/jclouds/hpcloud/objectstorage/domain/ContainerCDNMetadata.java b/providers/hpcloud-objectstorage/src/main/java/org/jclouds/hpcloud/objectstorage/domain/ContainerCDNMetadata.java
index 14949d6a82..83155befa2 100644
--- a/providers/hpcloud-objectstorage/src/main/java/org/jclouds/hpcloud/objectstorage/domain/ContainerCDNMetadata.java
+++ b/providers/hpcloud-objectstorage/src/main/java/org/jclouds/hpcloud/objectstorage/domain/ContainerCDNMetadata.java
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ import com.google.gson.annotations.SerializedName;
  * 
  */
 public class ContainerCDNMetadata implements Comparable<ContainerCDNMetadata> {
+   
+   protected ContainerCDNMetadata() {
+      // we want serializers like Gson to work w/o using sun.misc.Unsafe,
+      // prohibited in GAE. This also implies fields are not final.
+      // see http://code.google.com/p/jclouds/issues/detail?id=925
+   }
 
    private String name;
    private boolean cdn_enabled;
@@ -45,9 +51,6 @@ public class ContainerCDNMetadata implements Comparable<ContainerCDNMetadata> {
       this.cdn_uri = cdnUri;
    }
 
-   public ContainerCDNMetadata() {
-   }
-
    /**
     * Beware: The container name is not available from HEAD CDN responses and will be null. return
     * the name of the container to which these CDN settings apply.