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HTC Unlocks Its Own Phones

Posted by Soulskill on from the perfectly-normal-and-healthy dept.

itwbennett writes "Having just announced that it would continue to run Android on its best phones, HTC is now 'needling' Google by making good on 'promises it made earlier in the year to deliver bootloader unlock tools for many of its most popular Android phones,' writes blogger Kevin Fogarty. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, HTC CEO Peter Chou said that HTC views unlocked OSes as a way to encourage both ISVs and owners to get more involved developing apps and mods for the phones. Google, which has been trying to lock Android down more, probably doesn't see it that way."

98 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. What by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can we get a citation on "Google, which has been trying to lock Android down more,". Google has released two phones ever, both of which are easily rootable. Or does Google somehow take the heat for Motorola's actions prior to the buyout? Or is this just more FUD?

    1. Re:What by GooberToo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Agreed. More of the endless flood of trollish, completely dishonest reporting which is constantly being pushed on /. these days.

      Google is pushing for an ever more open Android. They are, of course, balanced by carriers who want a more closed ecosystem - the status quo.

      Bluntly, HTC's desire for openness is only SURPASSED by Google's.

      This perhaps hint at an article for hire by Microsoft or Apple - both of whom have been caught doing this type of unethical FUDing before. Both Microsoft and Apple have a strong desire to unseat Android, seemingly no matter how low they need to go.

      Perhaps the courts and patent battles are not going nearly as well as Microsoft and Apple had originally hoped?

    2. Re:What by GooberToo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Obviously you don't know what the words, "locked down" and/or "open" mean in this context.

    3. Re:What by interkin3tic · · Score: 1

      Agreed. More of the endless flood of trollish, completely dishonest reporting which is constantly being pushed on /. these days.

      Maybe itwbennet saw Florian Mueller doing it, figured he had to somehow be making a lot of money or else he would have stopped it, and decided to jump on the money train.

      (Or blogger Kevin Foggarty, or the president of HTC. Not really sure who came up with it, to find out, I'd have to RTFA, and if it has that FUD in there, I don't want to bother.)

    4. Re:What by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      /. had integrity? Must have been before my time.

    5. Re:What by Reapman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Force a standardized UI? I didn't realize they were removing ADW Launcher or GO Launcher or Launcher Pro from the Market. Or do you mean after listening to the ENDLESS Complaints about MotoBlur and other 3rd party crap handset makers throwing on their phone and actually wanting to do something about it then yes, yes they are.

      If you want an "open" phone (Aka do whatever you want) you buy a Nexus Phone made by Google. And that is probably the most accurate definition of Open in this conversation.

    6. Re:What by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      Yes, please go on so far you have:

      1) obsolete
      2) refers to android apps not android
      3) allegations unproven.

      So how about some relevant facts?

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    7. Re:What by elashish14 · · Score: 2

      Exactly what I was thinking - another FUD attack on Google. The first thing I think now when I hear an attack on Google and Android is that there's a very good chance that it was written by a shill.

      IMO, Apple doesn't have much of a reputation for hiring shills to do the dirty work for them - they have big enough mouths to spew FUD themselves.

      Microsoft on the other hand has a deep-running history of hiring shills - and it wouldn't be the first time CNET's been on the receiving end either.

      --
      I have left slashdot and am now on Soylent News. FUCK YOU DICE.
    8. Re:What by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 2

      Samsung seems to be pretty open as well, at least with their latest offerings (I have an SGS2). I think Motorola is the only major Android vendor that still tries to lock things in now.

    9. Re:What by sonicmerlin · · Score: 1

      Hopefully from now on Motorola phones will be completely open and run standard Android OS as well.

    10. Re:What by hamburgler007 · · Score: 1

      I kind of doubt it, but not so much because of google. Service providers love putting their irremovable bullshit apps on phones whilst locking down features such as tethering.

    11. Re: What by hamburgler007 · · Score: 1

      honeycomb is for tablets. Google has been very good about their 2.x code source releases.

    12. Re:What by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      Agreed. More of the endless flood of trollish, completely dishonest reporting which is constantly being pushed on /. these days.

      And how many story submissions have you made recently as your contribution to the effort to reverse the flood of (etc etc) reporting you so dislike?

      Remember the sign on the exit door from the polling station that read "if you did not participate, you've forfeited your right to complain"? OK, it's a metaphorical sign, but the problem is a general one.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    13. Re:What by shellbeach · · Score: 1

      Well, no -- it's not a submission problem, it's an editorial problem.

      Trolls will always submit FUD like this stupid, ignorant, misinformed article. But why /. editors let it through (especially unedited, with that ridiculous last sentence) is beyond me ...

    14. Re:What by shellbeach · · Score: 1

      Um, how about the blog post from Google's android dev team, It's not rooting, it's openness, that not only explains exactly how to root their flagship Nexus S phone (hint: with one adb command), but encourages it. Allow me to quote -- and remember, this is Google's official line:

      The Nexus S, like the Nexus One before it, is designed to allow enthusiasts to install custom operating systems. Allowing your own boot image on a pure Nexus S is as simple as running fastboot oem unlock. It should be no surprise that modifying the operating system can give you root access to your phone. Hopefully that’s just the beginning of the changes you might make.

      That's a pretty damn strong confirmation that Google supports open bootloaders, such as what HTC is now belatedly doing.

    15. Re: What by marcello_dl · · Score: 2

      honeycomb is android for tablets
      FTFY
      And we were speaking about android.

      Delaying source code release is not a good thing when you're google and you became successful with the beta label in your offerings. We have enough nannies already.

      --
      ---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
    16. Re:What by sonicmerlin · · Score: 1

      I have no idea what you're talking about. Google has never attacked other companies with its patents.

    17. Re:What by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      Remember the sign on the exit door from the polling station that read "if you did not participate, you've forfeited your right to complain"? OK, it's a metaphorical sign, but the problem is a general one.

      On th exit door?

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    18. Re:What by Demerara · · Score: 1

      Google has released two phones ever, both of which are easily rootable.

      Easily by the average /. reader - but I suspect that HTC would like to see that bar lowered significantly. I imagine that a hardware vendor (HTC, for example, but it could be anyone) wanting to put a serious hand-held device into an enterprise environment would like to make it simple to cut the umbilical chord to Google.

      Or just to offer power users more options to rid themselves of the constant sucking noise of Google (and Facebook and Yelp and the rest of the bottom-feeders) eavesdropping on our every action, thought, movement.

      This may be FUD, but there's a grain of truth in there somewhere!

      --
      Backward%20compatibility%20is%20over-rated
    19. Re:What by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
      Yes ; "exit" door goes with "did not".

      Making that sort of point on the way into the polling station might lead to some long discussions with returning officers about the interpretation of the Representation of the People Acts. Possibly in court. From the dock.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    20. Re:What by DanTheStone · · Score: 1

      I think it's unlikely that suing is the intended use of those patents, but intent isn't really the point. We'll all learn the result in time.

    21. Re:What by Marc+Madness · · Score: 1

      Remember the sign on the exit door from the polling station that read "if you did not participate, you've forfeited your right to complain"? OK, it's a metaphorical sign, but the problem is a general one.

      They should re-think the location of that sign. Presumably if you're in the polling station, you've participated. Those who don't participate will never actually see the sign, then complain vociferously not knowing that they've forfeited their right to do so.

    22. Re:What by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      They should re-think the location of that sign. Presumably if you're in the polling station, you've participated.

      Was chatting to an Aussie in the bar a few nights ago, and if I understood him correctly he was saying that, because voting is compulsory in Australia, and they count your ID card on entry to the polling station, then no small number of people go to the polling station, take a form and throw it un-voted into the ballot box. Which is about the lowest level of participation you can get. Even writing "none of the above" is a more valid expression of intent.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  2. needle-needle by Toonol · · Score: 2

    HTC is now 'needling' Google by making good on 'promises it made earlier in the year to deliver bootloader unlock tools for many of its most popular Android phones,'

    I have a strong suspicion that Google will not care one single bit.

    1. Re:needle-needle by Z00L00K · · Score: 1

      Personally - what annoys me is that if I purchase a phone I'm not permitted to reflash it to a different language - even if it's the same version otherwise. OK, there are ways around it so I'm not entirely locked down.

      --
      If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
  3. Wait...what? Huh?? by GweeDo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Google, which has been trying to lock Android down more, probably doesn't see it that way."

    The only phones that Google "produces" are the Nexus line. These have unlockable bootloaders already. Don't get me wrong, I am happy HTC is doing this, but that statement about Google is just silly and wrong.

    --
    Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
    1. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by bananaquackmoo · · Score: 1

      +1. Google has NOTHING to do with locked down phones. The carriers are the ones trying to force it.

    2. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by andymadigan · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The purchase hasn't gone through yet, so referring to Motorola Mobility as 'Google' is not (yet) accurate. Who knows what Google will do with Moto once they have control? They might decide efuse was a bad idea and release an unlock app.

      --
      The right to protest the State is more sacred than the State.
    3. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by jcombel · · Score: 1

      really, the summary/approval assholes need not be kicked for this one. the articles are truly as clueless as the summary claims.

      first poster suggested the articles are FUD, but that implies sinister intent (imo). i see this more as ignorance towards the company's policies.

    4. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by GweeDo · · Score: 3, Informative

      Most people believe that Google purchased Motorola Mobility for their patent portfolio to protect against the likes of Oracle and Apple since they are currently so sue happy. That has nothing to do with locked or unlocked bootloaders.

      --
      Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
    5. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by roc97007 · · Score: 2

      What's more important is what the policy will be after the sale goes through. Realistically Google can't be held responsible for policies of some company they don't own.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    6. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by canyoufindben · · Score: 2

      Right, Google's only lockdown being applied is to make sure you can exploit the OS or kernel for root access. Now with unlocked bootloaders, and a kernel source, one can compile their own Android with root access that doesn't compromise the OS or the kernel. To think that Google is the one locking the bootloaders is just plain madness. OEMs are responsible for that.

    7. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by gorzek · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm with everyone else: what the hell is the submitter talking about??

      --
      Check out my world simulator thingy.
    8. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by gad_zuki! · · Score: 4, Informative

      Since Google decided to delay releasing Honeycomb's source because they didnt want more half-cooked tablets on the market, suddenly the loud-mouth brigade is trying to paint them in a bad light. Google exerting a little control on the wild-west world of tablets and its own phoneOS is a good thing. Heaven forbid AOpen or some other shit shop wait a few weeks for google to iron out the bugs, have them verify their hardware can run Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich and make them sign a contract that they will updates the OS to the newest versions for a period of 18 months. The de facto world of release garbage and buggy phones, never supplying updates and hurting Android's reputation is no longer welcome, and I'm glad.

    9. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Heaven forbid AOpen or some other shit shop wait a few weeks for google to iron out the bugs, have them verify their hardware can run Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich and make them sign a contract that they will updates the OS to the newest versions for a period of 18 months. The de facto world of release garbage and buggy phones, never supplying updates and hurting Android's reputation is no longer welcome, and I'm glad.

      They can and will always be able to do that - AOSP allows them. Unless Google kills AOSP, there will always be a ton of crap Android phones.

      All Google can do is give conditoins if you're also licensing the "with Google" stuff. Hell, Samsung's Galaxy Tab came with 2.2 and Google was very much against it (and it had "with Google"), so the amount of control Google has, is unknown.

      You and I in the developed world may never see the crap phones without the Google stuff, but China and many other places they're plentiful. It's also why alternative marketplaces are so popular (because they can't get the official market, at least without doing some hacking work).

      There will be crap phones and crap tablets running Android. This won't change at all - unless Google stops supporting AOSP for some reason.

    10. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      If you're ignorant of the subject, why would you write an article about it? Wouldn't that be sinister intent in itself, to claim that random made-up stuff is fact, without any research?

      Confusion is the currency of a Sith.

    11. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by molnarcs · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Um, hello? Google has infamously withheld Android source and tried to make more restrictive compatibility requirements for vendors. All of these things have been covered on Slashdot.

      Google absolutely, most definitely has been trying to lock Android down more. No offense, but you have an Android app link in your signature, so you have a vested financial interest in Android.

      Bonch, stop trolling. You confuse quality control with preventing users do whatever they want with their phones. Your tirade is about the former, and I think you're alone in seeing that as a bad thing. HTC's announcement is about the latter - something Google has been pushing with their Nexus line since the Nexus One. Get yourself some brains please.

    12. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by bonch · · Score: 1, Troll

      "Most people." You mean Google fans.

      The real reason, as has been covered elsewhere (Slashdot submissions about it have been rejected, for some reason), is that Motorola's CEO was proclaiming just this month that his company would be waging a patent war against other Android vendors, during the time they would have been in negotiations with Google. In other words, Motorola strong-armed Google into buying them out rather than simply licensing their patents. The $12 billion is almost two years worth of Google's annual profits. Google was also motivated by the fact that Microsoft was looking into buying Motorola.

      Apple isn't "sue-happy." People have been suing them, so they countersue in retaliation. I don't blame them seeing as how most of the Android phones are total rip-offs of the iPhone's hardware and software design. Android phones looked like this before the iPhone came out.

    13. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by Threni · · Score: 1

      Exactly. Google get pressed to force manufacturers to be nicer to devs/hackers but say their hands are tied cos it's all open and they can do what they like. Why would they possibly be against unlockable bootloaders? It's hardly Google that has to deal with muppets bricking their HTC (etc) phones then phoning tech support.

    14. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by Ironhandx · · Score: 1

      I keep seeing people post this, or something close to this. You're not even close to correct.

      I'd like to know how you consider 12 billion to be 2 years profits for a company that posted 9.08 billion in net income last year, and 12.78 billion @ EBITDA. It is at absolute worst 18 months. Given that they have over 30 billion dollars in cash on hand that is just earning them 6, maybe 8% at most, and Motorola's worst profit margins are higher than that by the way, they don't even have to talk to a bank to make it happen.

      They get patent portfolios that they can use defensively and aggressively if necessary, and they get to put their money to work for them in a sector that they're breaking into in a big way already.

      Stop being a retard.

      I'm beginning to smell Apple/MSFT shills galore in here.

    15. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by Bucky24 · · Score: 1

      Ice Cream Sandwich.

      That should be the name of the next version of android, hands down.

      --
      All the world's a CPU, and all the men and women merely AI agents
    16. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      I may be getting whooshed, but it is.

    17. Re:Wait...what? Huh?? by Daniel+Phillips · · Score: 1

      Since Google decided to delay releasing Honeycomb's source because they didnt want more half-cooked tablets on the market, suddenly the loud-mouth brigade is trying to paint them in a bad light.

      Kind of suggests that making lame excuses for not releasing the source was a thoroughly bad idea, doesn't it?

      --
      Have you got your LWN subscription yet?
  4. Lock Android down? by secondsun · · Score: 2

    Other than Honeycomb and GoogleTV being not open sourced (which Google admits is a one off which will be fixed in Ice Cream Sandwich), what other evidence of them locking Android down is there? It really felt like a throw away line.

    Meanwhile, HTC makes rather awesome phones and this makes it much easier to suggest phones to other developers.

    --
    There is nothing wrong with being gay. It's getting caught where the trouble lies.
    1. Re:Lock Android down? by afidel · · Score: 1, Insightful

      They just bought Motorolla Mobile, by FAR the worst offender when it comes to locking devices.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    2. Re:Lock Android down? by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      My OG Droid says different.

    3. Re:Lock Android down? by Baloroth · · Score: 1

      Riiiiiight. Just bought it. So they have no control over Motorola ATM. Maybe they actually want to stop the worst offender?

      --
      "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
    4. Re:Lock Android down? by ftobin · · Score: 1

      They recently removed the ability for apps to read Gmail in Android, which is very useful for notification/trigger systems.

    5. Re:Lock Android down? by MightyYar · · Score: 2

      They haven't purchased them yet - just announced the deal. Give Google a few months once they are in charge before judgement.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    6. Re:Lock Android down? by afidel · · Score: 1

      Nope, Apple does not disable your hardware because you had the audacity to try to unlock the boot loader.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    7. Re:Lock Android down? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Wrong! They are buying Motorola Mobile. It has not gone through yet. Wow more spin. How about waiting until the deal is done for a bit and see what happens.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    8. Re:Lock Android down? by bonch · · Score: 3, Informative

      Try again:

      "We are using compatibility as a club to make [Android vendors] do things we want." - Android manager Dan Morrill, email from August 6, 2010

    9. Re:Lock Android down? by Bucky24 · · Score: 1

      That's a very interesting point. I hadn't looked at it that way until now.

      --
      All the world's a CPU, and all the men and women merely AI agents
    10. Re:Lock Android down? by Bucky24 · · Score: 2

      And yet there is so much fragmentation.....

      --
      All the world's a CPU, and all the men and women merely AI agents
  5. Does it work? by Damastus+the+WizLiz · · Score: 1

    I wonder what other people are experiancing with using it. The one person I know who has used this still has a mostly locked down phone. So far the most he has gotten out of it is a message on the phone saying "unlocked"

    --
    I often have trouble remembering which way is out of bed in the morning.
  6. Good on HTC by milbournosphere · · Score: 2

    I will definitely keep this in mind when shopping for my next phone. I wonder if this HTC news, the Google/Moto deal and Samsung's dealings with Cyanogen will lead to a more open phone environment in the near future. I'm crossing my fingers :)

  7. WTF? by Daneurysm · · Score: 2

    I'm not sure what the hell is going on over at HTC but not only has Google made every one of their phones easily unlockable, nor do I think they care to, but, HTC also made the very first Nexus (NexusOne). "Fastboot oem unlock" is a mantra among the Android hacking/modding community for that very reason.

    Color me confused.

  8. Re:Google could be happy. by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Google does not present Android that way. Their Nexus line of phones do the complete opposite. By default android allows out of market installations and all kinds of other non-walled garden things.

  9. HTC is my new favorite company by roc97007 · · Score: 2

    ...and will be my next phone...

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    1. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by GweeDo · · Score: 1

      They are awesome! I hope you also like extended battery companies ;)

      * Sent from a current HTC Thunderbolt owner.

      --
      Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
    2. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by whoever57 · · Score: 2

      ...and will be my next phone...

      Why? Samsung is ahead of HTC in providing unlocked phones.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    3. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by GweeDo · · Score: 1

      I am running CyanogenMod 7 (latest RC from Slayher) in a non-LTE area and have my LTE radio disabled. The battery life on the thing is still sad.

      --
      Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
    4. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by Macthorpe · · Score: 1

      My experience of CyanogenMod is that although it's more functional than my stock HTC Hero, the battery life on it as absolutely appalling. I mean that I can actively use the phone for less than 2 hours before the battery is completely dead.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    5. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by IGnatius+T+Foobar · · Score: 1

      HTC makes great Android phones -- I own one myself (the original T-Mobile G1) but they do happen to be one of the manufacturers that now pays a Microsoft Tax on every device sold. Dunno if that has any effect on your purchasing decisions but it's worth thinking about.

      --
      Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
    6. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      Because I'm pissed off at Samsung for, among other things, the way they handle updates to non-rooted phones. They take forever to come out with official updates, seemingly wanting you to buy a new phone to get an incrementally later (not even current) version of Android. This is very specifically why I do not pick Samsung as my work phone, as I am not allowed to install unofficial updates and am unlikely to see official updates in a timely manner, despite the press releases.

      And just incidentally, my daughter is a Galaxy S owner, and she's currently on her fifth (!) phone in two years. The first two the GPS didn't work at all, the third had a bad compass, touchscreen failed on the fourth, and her current phone hangs randomly requiring reboot. And the three phones for which GPS did work, were consistently off position by several blocks despite the GPS patch from Samsung and a firmware upgrade. If you ask me, the Galaxy S is a sexy phone on the outside with crap guts and crap support. Based on these experiences, it would be irresponsible of me as a consumer to buy another Samsung. (AT&T acknowledges problems with the phone, but can only replace it, which admittedly they have done without issue.)

      So don't talk to me about Samsung. They need to provide unequivocal evidence that they have made lasting changes to tech support and hardware reliability before I'll ever touch them again.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    7. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      My daughter is on her fifth Galaxy S in a little over one calendar year. (Four in-store replacements for various hardware failures.) And any Galaxy S owner should be acquainted with the upgrade fiasco and the GPS fiasco and factor this into their choice for their next phone. I'm sorry, I can't recommend Samsung regardless of their developer policies until they clean up their tech support and address the reliability of their hardware. And get the damned GPS to work right. And it'd help if they would acknowledge the pain early adopters of the Galaxy S line had to go through. Parenthetically, I don't care if the S2 turned straw into gold -- we shouldn't have to buy another phone to get the features we were promised in our current phone.

      So no, not Samsung.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    8. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Dunno if that has any effect on your purchasing decisions but it's worth thinking about.

      No, it's really not.

    9. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by hamburgler007 · · Score: 1

      Seconded. I run CyanogenMod7 on a captivate, and think it is great, except for the horrible battery life. Mind you I have most of the features turned off and still the battery gets less than a days use, mostly idle time as well. I thought it may be the battery just going bad, so I temporarily flashed back to the samsung rom, and get several days when idle.

    10. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by hamburgler007 · · Score: 1

      ATT shares part of the blame with respect to firmware updates, but samsung doesn't handle it well either. I remember the day after I purchased my captivate they had just released a firmware update which they basically forced you to install. Update went great, until it hard bricked my phone. To att's credit they replaced it the same day. Between that experience, the long wait to the next firmware update, the broken gps, and AT&T trying to charge be to tether my phone to use bandwidth I already paid for, I went to cyanogen. It is a pain in the ass to install on the captivate for several reasons, but aside from the shorter battery life was much happier with it.

    11. Re:HTC is my new favorite company by JonJ · · Score: 1

      Nokia made the best hardware

      And the worst software.

      --
      -- Linux user #369862
  10. Buy HTC by PitaBred · · Score: 2

    This story means that I'm going to recommend HTC phones over others to everyone I know, and buy them myself when I upgrade. Even if my friends/family don't unlock theirs, this news just gives me that much more trust in HTC hardware.

    --
    My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
    1. Re:Buy HTC by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      Don't forget to let them know that when they're unlocked, they might lose their warranty options.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    2. Re:Buy HTC by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      This story means that I'm going to recommend HTC phones over others to everyone I know, and buy them myself when I upgrade. Even if my friends/family don't unlock theirs, this news just gives me that much more trust in HTC hardware.

      Fanboydom is bad, even if you're on the side of the righetous.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    3. Re:Buy HTC by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      I might possibly have misinterpreted you and you were merely asking if there was any risk to the warranty but the way it's written, it sure comes across as FUD

      If you check the terms of HTC's warranty currently, it doesn't seem forgiving towards unlocked phones.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    4. Re:Buy HTC by Bucky24 · · Score: 1

      I think the chances of me needing to get my phone replaced for hardware failure are much greater than the chances of being hit by a meteorite. Phones are DESIGNED to fail quickly, so that the consumer has to buy another one.

      --
      All the world's a CPU, and all the men and women merely AI agents
    5. Re:Buy HTC by PitaBred · · Score: 1

      Show me any locked down phone that wouldn't be better if you had the option to unlock it. As long as HTC and Samsung keep providing competitive devices, the unlockability is a major consumer-friendly feature and a decision point.

      "Fanboy" is blind adherence. If Samsung or HTC lock down their phones again, I would move elsewhere. But I will also support companies doing good work.

      --
      My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
    6. Re:Buy HTC by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Just think about the statement I responded to, then think about how Mac fans were thought of back in the DOS days. If you are noisy to your friends about HTC products you'll be talked about behind your back.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  11. Unlocked HTC phones are by figleaf · · Score: 2

    no longer under warranty?!!!

    1. Re:Unlocked HTC phones are by padraic2 · · Score: 2

      It's an important detail that some are worried about - you provide your phone's information (not sure how much personal info is required) to their unlock web tool in order to get a "key" (probably a flashable .zip file) that will unlock the bootloader. But, say in the near future you have a hardware malfunction - are you now told "we see you're on the unlock list - sorry, no warranty for you"?

    2. Re:Unlocked HTC phones are by riflemann · · Score: 1

      Unlocking does NOT void a phone's warranty, as much as the manufacturers would like you to believe.

      Under the relevant jurisdictions of much of /. readership, it is illegal for a manufacturer to deny a warranty claim, *unless* they can show that the modification was a factor in the fault (in this case, the third party firmware such as cyanogen).

      This is what prevents car manufacturers denying warranty claims on, say a gearbox, just because you replaced the radio. Same goes for your phone, if the camera CCD starts playing up, they cannot blame the firmware and deny coverage.

      My Nexus S is rather well behaved in this regard. "fastboot oem unlock" says that it *may* affect the warranty, but does not state that it is outright void.

      For the US, read up on the Magnnuson Moss Warranty Act.

      --
      Sparks:Gadget:Beer Maker
  12. With Google now locking Android down... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ... I'm sure glad I can set up my own AppStore for iOS devices ...

    ... err, well ... I'm glad I can root my iOS device without a company releasing a patch to break it ...

    ... err, well ... I'm glad that ... that ...

    :cry:

  13. New phones only? by archen · · Score: 1

    Does this only affect new phones, or will this work on older phones? I made the mistake of upgrading my HTC Evo to a firmware that isn't supported by any unlocking tools I've found. It would be nice to have a tool from a manufacturer that accomplishes this. Mainly I want to dump all the extra crap Sprint shoves on the phone.

    1. Re:New phones only? by Daneurysm · · Score: 1

      Check out the newest version of the Revolutionary tool at Revolutionary.io ...I believe the latest version (v0.4 pre I think?) has unlocked E4Gs that took the GB update a month or two ago.

  14. Re:Of course they're sticking with Android by toadlife · · Score: 1

    HTC is where it's at because of Android.

    lol.

    HTC is where its at because of Windows Mobile.

    Before you head asplodes at what I just said, read up on the history of HTC.

    --
    I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
  15. Re:Of course they're sticking with Android by PitaBred · · Score: 1

    HTC was stagnating with Windows Mobile. They've grown leaps and bounds when they embraced Android.

    --
    My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
  16. Kevin Fogarty (source article author) by Loopy · · Score: 2

    What does this dude have against Google? Does he know something nobody else does? From the bottom of his article:

    "I think there's a lot we can do...it's not the operating system, it's the ecosystem...so we think we can find a way to differentiate to add value, but at the same time leverage our partners, Google and Microsoft, since we have such a great relationship with them," Chou told Dow Jones Newsires during an interview.

    Where's this "needling Google" Kevin alludes to?

  17. A future repeat customer here by willoughby · · Score: 1

    This is great! I'm using a MyTouch 4g (HTC Glacier) flashed with Cyanogenmod 7, but it was a bit of a fuss to root it in order to flash. If they'll make the job easier, I'll look first to HTC for the next phone 'cause this current one w/CM7 is super!

  18. Re:Of course they're sticking with Android by toadlife · · Score: 1

    I agree that the adoption of Android has facilitated huge growth for HTC, but you're missing my point a bit.

    HTC's bread and butter has always been making good hardware and slapping a third party OS with customizations on it, and for the first decade of their existence that third party OS was almost exclusively Windows Mobile.

    Without that decade of experience making smart phones, they would not have been in the position to be Google's choice as the maker of the first three Android smart phones.

    --
    I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
  19. Android != Bootloader by ripdajacker · · Score: 1

    Let's assume Google was trying to lock down Android (I assume the FUD comes partly from the delayed 3.0 source code releases), it still doesn't change the fact that bootloaders differ from device to device. Google virtually has no power over what kind of protection if any HTC should choose to use.

    TFA is misleading at best.

  20. Same regarding security by DrYak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Agreed. More of the endless flood of trollish, completely dishonest reporting which is constantly being pushed on /. these days.

    And same goes, in my opinion, for their comment about security:

    Unlocked phones and user-installed software pose much higher risk of infection by malware or corruption of system software.

    Uh... no... sorry. An unlocked phone isn't suddenly more susceptible to malware, just because it's unlocked. That might have been true in some case with iPhones due to 2 separate reasons (A. a blunder which left all phones with the same default password for SSH, making it easy to remotely log into iphone of user not savvy enough to change the password after installing SSH. B. due to the closed nature of iPhones, some hole might have to be left open so after each reboot the iPhone can still be forced to run homebrew apps). But in practice, unlocked phones tend to be more secure, simply for the fact that they can still get updates (like the cyanogenmods) which are likely to contain the latest security patch, even long after the manufacturer and/or the carrier have dropped support. Not to mention that some 3rd party ROMs might contain additional security features.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  21. Re:Google could be happy. by Bucky24 · · Score: 1

    But generally carrier phones do not. I think that's the point that parent is trying to make.

    --
    All the world's a CPU, and all the men and women merely AI agents
  22. Re:Of course they're sticking with Android by hamburgler007 · · Score: 1

    I agree that windows mobile held them back, but it is what let them get their foot in the door.

  23. Correct me if I'm wrong... by Microlith · · Score: 1

    I was under the impression that this unlock was only for devices sold direct from HTC, which excludes pretty much every HTC device in the US. Has this changed?

    1. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by FlyingCheese · · Score: 1

      You're wrong. All you need to do is give them your serial number from under the battery compartment. Where you bought the phone has no bearing on it whatsoever.

    2. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by Microlith · · Score: 1

      Interesting. This does wonders for blowing Motorola's justification for locking down their handsets to utter shit.

      Now if only something could be done about all those Android-only userspace binaries...

  24. It adds "un" to your hboot screen, voids warranty by tkprit · · Score: 1

    And it's still s-on after the "unlock".

  25. Re:Of course they're sticking with Android by toadlife · · Score: 1

    Still missing the point. Read my reply above. Your intense hatred for Microsoft has turned your brain to mush.

    --
    I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
  26. Re:Google could be happy. by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

    Actually, only AT&T phones prevent out of market installation.