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HTC To Unlock Smartphones' Bootloader

Posted by Unknown on from the one-step-toward-freedom dept.

An anonymous reader writes "From information taken from a facebook post from HTC's page, it looks like future [HTC] Android devices will have an unlocked bootloader. An email sent by HTC's co-founder also confirms that the Evo 3D will be unlocked. This is great news for the Android modding community."

19 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. Hello Moto? by The+Yuckinator · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Motorola? Are you watching?

    This is where your users will go when their current contracts expire or when they just get fed up with all of the great options on everyone else's phones other than yours.

    1. Re:Hello Moto? by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This is where the minuscule, niche group of users who make up less than .5% of all your customers will go when their current contracts expire or when they just get fed up with all of the great options on everyone else's phones other than yours.

      FTFY. Seriously, most users don't know what a bootloader is let alone whether or not it's locked or unlocked.

    2. Re:Hello Moto? by The+Yuckinator · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Really? Check out the XDA Developer's Forum for the Milestone - this is only one Moto phone and there are over 28.5K posts in this forum. Even if that IS only 0.5% of their installed base outside of the USA (because the original Droid has an unlocked bootloader in the US, but was called the Milestone and locked tight everywhere else) that's still not a small amount of interest in non-standard ROMs.

      If Motorola wants to keep everything locked down like an iphone they're of course welcome to do so. I really think that they'd do well to just offer an option to unlock the bootloader to whatever percentage of their userbase asks for it, along with voiding their warranty of course. It's not going to hurt anything if they do and they'll only reap goodwill and more fans because of it. We may be a minority but we're a vocal minority, and currently we'll all buy a non-moto phone when it comes time for our next purchase.

      It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to push customers away, but then again I'm not a huge hardware company so there are probably many more factors involved in the decision. I'm only speaking as a disgruntled customer who will do my best to prevent anyone I know from getting a Motorola product from here on in. It's a safe bet that I'm not alone.

    3. Re:Hello Moto? by Lifyre · · Score: 4, Interesting

      He may not be, I've run into some Android users who are decidedly not tech savvy who have rooted their HTC devices and they tell their friends building a wave of support for rooting phones. This is almost exclusively for HTC Android phones and most frequently I field questions about how to do it and can I "fix" their phones since I'm the tech savvy guy in the office. Typically the rooted phones are faster, more stable, and have more features, some of which can be killer.

      That said I think HTC is doing this in large part because they HAVE seen people run from Motorola's locked down phones at the rapid rate (and this is backed up by motorola starting to make noise about unlocking theirs too). Not to mention if HTC can partner with the community they can use that work as a resource for releasing stronger offerings for their phones that will really put them ahead of the competition.

      --
      I'll meet you at the intersection of "Should be" and "Reality"
    4. Re:Hello Moto? by somersault · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Googling for phone jailbreaks puts the figures (taken from monitorig websites) at around 5% in 2008 and 8% in 2009. I saw guesses for 2011 or around 10-15%.The company that supplies phones to our work actually offers to jailbreak iPhones for us if necessary.

      Now, Android devices have a lot less need of jailbreaking of course, but their users are generally more technically aware, so I don't think it's a stretch at all to assume that easily more than 1 of Android devices are being cracked. I've rooted 3 out of 4 of my Android devices, and may do my Xoom if a nice custom ROM comes out for it (probably already are some available).

      --
      which is totally what she said
    5. Re:Hello Moto? by somersault · · Score: 2

      First "phone jailbreaks" should be "iPhone jailbreaks". Damn Android autocorrect refuses to recognise the iPhone.

      --
      which is totally what she said
    6. Re:Hello Moto? by zeroshade · · Score: 2

      Apparently enough users care to get HTC to make a change.....

    7. Re:Hello Moto? by paulsnx2 · · Score: 2

      .5 % of your customers .... with the *biggest* mouths.

      Besides, have you not ever used one of Motorola's phones? I got the Atrix and it is *broken* as it ships. Nothing works. My Nexus one? It has its faults, but it works.

      I would kill to boot Motorola's crap on the Atrix. Others (even people with no technical skills) can appreciate what it is like to use a phone that *works* verses using a phone that has been purposely (even if not intentionality) broken.

    8. Re:Hello Moto? by localman57 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And there are thousands upon thousands up people who modify their phones.

      Out of millions upon millions of phones sold. Again, less than 1 percent. But, originally, less than 1 percent of people had cell phones. Then less than 1 percent had data capable phones. Now, less than 1 percent of people install custom firmware. Don't get discouraged by the numbers. We're just leading the curve.

  2. Persistence... by Microlith · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This makes me wonder if they'll go "oh, we unlocked the bootloaders but the carriers relocked them. Sorry."

    All told, I'd be more impressed if HTC were pushing their kernel changes upstream, and making multiple builds of the video drivers available for other, non-Android OSes.

    1. Re:Persistence... by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

      Or better yet, "This is the software we supplied with yoru phone. The bootloader is unlocked. Seek future updates from the community".

      After all, it seems HTC has a trillion phones (really a few phones in many combinations), so surely supporting every one of them wll be a pain. Perhaps this is how they'll get out of the 18-month support thing Google is trying to impose on Android vendors. After all, once the phone is sold, HTC makes no money, so if they can just fixate on making new phones and stuff, it saves them on support.

  3. Benefits by Nerdfest · · Score: 2

    I'm amazed by the displeasure displayed on their FaceBook page and in other places. I was actually surprised by the number of people commenting. I've always wondered what the benefit to the hardware vendors is that would make them go to the work of locking bootloaders, or even taking away the 'check this box for root access' that Android phones should really have.

    1. Re:Benefits by Anonymous+Psychopath · · Score: 2

      I'm amazed by the displeasure displayed on their FaceBook page and in other places. I was actually surprised by the number of people commenting. I've always wondered what the benefit to the hardware vendors is that would make them go to the work of locking bootloaders, or even taking away the 'check this box for root access' that Android phones should really have.

      There's little benefit to manufacturers who don't also own an app store, like Apple.

      However, the carriers apply pressure in order to prevent customers from doing things like wifi tethering without paying the carriers for the service. You can easily do this on Android phones, but it requires root.

      --

      Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

    2. Re:Benefits by mlts · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There are three benefits hardware vendors get:

      1: Lusers who mod their phones, "brick" [1] them, then return it. Locking bootloaders means that they don't get returns or support calls on these types.

      2: It cozies hardware makers with the DRM culprits who want digital restrictions in every device out there.

      3: It makes cellular carriers happy in four ways:

      A: If a security hole in Android comes out, and a phone can't be patches, people are likely to upgrade or buy a new phone.

      B: Phones won't run the latest apps, due to the inability to be upgraded to the latest Android rev, so consumers will trash the devices for a new one.

      C: Carriers can lock out features, add non-removable "branding", etc.

      D: Carriers can create their own locked-down app/music stores.

      [1]: A lot of people don't understand that for some phones, it takes some effort to truly brick them (as in make them impossible to reflash and get working.) For example, people with iPhones who claim their phone is bricked, but never have bothered to do a DFU restore, people with Motorola devices who have never bothered downloading RSD Lite and flashing a factory .SHX back, or people with HTC phones who can't be bothered with copying a ROM to the SD card and holding down a button when turning the phone on.

  4. They must have felt the 'heat' by bogaboga · · Score: 3, Interesting

    HTC must have felt the heat from Samsung since they (Samsung) indicted that their devices would be 'root enabled' by default.

    it is sad though, that HTC appears to be paying at least US$5 to Microsoft for their patents...one more reason for me to avoid HTC.

    Kudos to them though, for acting fast, which is an attribute most successful companies have. Compare that to what Microsoft would have done.

  5. HTC sees an openning by Kamiza+Ikioi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The HTC Incredible was a real contender, and the Droid X stole its thunder. I know, because I switched. The Incredible had one of the loudest speakers I'd ever heard (music) and I prefer soft buttons, not the plastic junk on Droid X. But, I had 2 speakers actually blow. For free, I was able to switch to the Droid X with its larger screen. But the Incredible was a joy to hold and use.

    HTC sees an opening here to jump ahead of the competition. HTC has no real stake in caring about Cyanogen root users. The phone companies do, because of not being able to charge for tethering and other locked down features not available to non-root users.

    But it doesn't matter to HTC. They sell the hardware and design, and if you get the geeks raging about something that costs you nothing, it may give you an edge.

    I have no phone loyalty yet. Most don't. If HTC stays open, I will most likely switch to them when I upgrade in about 3 more generations. They're all android, and all settings and apps import, so Android phones can't vendor lock very well.

    Just because you have a customer now, Moto, doesn't mean anything come renewal time and $100 rebates on new phones.

    --
    I8-D
  6. Re:Verizon: No Unlocked Phones on our network by Benanov · · Score: 2

    They backpedalled on that pretty quickly: https://twitter.com/#!/VZWSupport/status/74160501885644800

  7. Confidentiality fail by drb226 · · Score: 2

    Did anyone notice the confidentiality note on the Evo 3D email? So much for "strictly prohibited" distribution.

  8. Re:N900 at what carrier? by priegog · · Score: 2

    Simple: You get a contract where they only charge you for what you call. I think those may not be available in the US though, and your only option might be prepaid.