Root Moto going to unlock bootloader

[FragDroidX]

Some good news from droid world. Looks like we may be getting an X2! Also follow the last link in the article to a page where someone suggests for Moto to unlock their boot loaders
Moto replied that they have "implemented" his suggestion.

http://www.droid-life.com/2011/01/2...e-2-all-in-the-works-stock-experience-coming/

Sorry thought the link pasted.

 

[VoidedSaint]

do you have a link for this? id like to read more about it

 

[charles7926]

Please Unlock the Droid X Bootloader

It is light on details on at this point and considering that in the past Motorola has stated that if users want unlocked phones then they should buy elsewhere, I am not sure how much Moto is really going to do.

 

[Metfanant]

i have seen NOTHING to suggest a Droid X2...OR that they will be unlocking the bootloader of the current X...where on Earth are we getting this information?

 

[Deleted User]

My Droid World Forums - Motorola, Locked Bootloaders and Partnership with Developers?

Motorola did not leave the comment unnoticed as this comment may have pushed some developers and people away from getting future smartphones by Motorola; and issued the following statement:

Motorola - We apologize for the feedback we provided regarding our bootloader policy. The response does not reflect the views of Motorola.
We are working closely with our partners to offer a bootloader solution that will enable developers to use our devices as a development platform while still protecting our users’ interests. More detailed information will follow as we get closer to availability.

 

[Metfanant]

saw that last night...to me its PR damage control because of the rep that told customers that they could go somewhere else if they wanted custom roms...

 

[someotherguy]

Bootloader facebook announcement

This link from there says there will be more info "soon"

Probably a Blizzard Entertainment soon (r)

 

[FragDroidX]

OP edit with link. Sorry about that.

 

[Metfanant]

the new link in the OP is nothing but absolute pure speculation...the timelines they give are even "user suggested"

personally i don't see the point of releasing these phones as 3G devices...seems a good way to release an obsolete device to market right off the bat...

 

[Piiman]

saw that last night...to me its PR damage control because of the rep that told customers that they could go somewhere else if they wanted custom roms...

+1

They've basically said the same thing as that rep said before except they said to buy a developer phone (which they don't have)

The only hope is that their new protections isn't as good.

 

[PurpleSwordfish]

I don't think that Motorola has any interest in having phone without locked bootloaders. They seem very committed to Motoblur, which is the first thing people are removing in custom ROMs.

 

[Metfanant]

I don't think that Motorola has any interest in having phone without locked bootloaders. They seem very committed to Motoblur, which is the first thing people are removing in custom ROMs.

Well blur has nothing to do with the locked bootloader...and while yes I agree most people are removing blur with custom roms...I have added some back to Liberty...and there is ay least one piece I would still like to add...

 

[Outlaw71]

Truly the only way we're probably going to get an unlocked bootloader (without breaking it ourselves) is if enough people take the reps suggestion and go elsewhere. The Droid1 was a HUGE hit. It did not have a locked bootloader. The Droid2 and DroidX were also huge hits, but that was before we knew how tight they locked the bootloader. IMO the only chance we have at getting Moto to unlock future phones (or at least offer dev phones) is to send them a message with the Bionic and/or any future Moto devices with locked down bootloaders is not to buy them until they do just that. No punch hits as hard as the one to the wallet.

The Bionic looks great, and I do admit to being a fan of Moto's designs (although I'm sort of miffed about the Bionic being all plastic... I thought the metal frame of the DX was one of the features that really set it apart from the crowd). But if I buy it then I'm telling Motorola that I don't care if they lock the bootloader on my device. And I don't want to tell Motorola that.

These things run just as much as a modern laptop, and do just about as much to boot. So if I'm going to spend that kind of money on my phone then I want to be able to do as much with it as I could with a laptop. I really see no reason to lock us out like they did, I'm not leasing this phone from Verizon, it's mine... I paid for it, I own it, I should be able to put any ROM on it that I so choose to.

And that's the message I will send with my next mobile phone purchase. It will only be one vote out of millions out there, but I still intend on casting it the way I want the industry to hear it. I realize this issue isn't very high on everyone's list of priorities. But it is on mine.

 

[FragDroidX]

Truly the only way we're probably going to get an unlocked bootloader (without breaking it ourselves) is if enough people take the reps suggestion and go elsewhere. The Droid1 was a HUGE hit. It did not have a locked bootloader. The Droid2 and DroidX were also huge hits, but that was before we knew how tight they locked the bootloader. IMO the only chance we have at getting Moto to unlock future phones (or at least offer dev phones) is to send them a message with the Bionic and/or any future Moto devices with locked down bootloaders is not to buy them until they do just that. No punch hits as hard as the one to the wallet.

The Bionic looks great, and I do admit to being a fan of Moto's designs (although I'm sort of miffed about the Bionic being all plastic... I thought the metal frame of the DX was one of the features that really set it apart from the crowd). But if I buy it then I'm telling Motorola that I don't care if they lock the bootloader on my device. And I don't want to tell Motorola that.

These things run just as much as a modern laptop, and do just about as much to boot. So if I'm going to spend that kind of money on my phone then I want to be able to do as much with it as I could with a laptop. I really see no reason to lock us out like they did, I'm not leasing this phone from Verizon, it's mine... I paid for it, I own it, I should be able to put any ROM on it that I so choose to.

And that's the message I will send with my next mobile phone purchase. It will only be one vote out of millions out there, but I still intend on casting it the way I want the industry to hear it. I realize this issue isn't very high on everyone's list of priorities. But it is on mine.

While I agree with your post 100% I think we are going to see a change in Motorola going forward. With the iphone going to VZW motorola is going to take a good dent in sales of their devices. Motorola does a decent amount of sales on their other phones but their Droid branded phones are their bread and butter. We already see that they treat the Droid branded phones differently. All of Moto's Android devices outside the Droid brand have their full motoblur on them (and this includes the new Atrix going to ATT) but the Droid brand really only has the Blur widgets and does not require a motoblur account and that includes the Bionic. They are going to need to keep the root crowd happy in some way to keep sales brisk I am betting thats going to be with the Droid branded devices. So in the end they will have their typical user based phones with motoblur and their power user devices in the Droid brand and I am betting that the Droid brand will be fully unlocked starting with the Bionic.

 

[gmenfan83]

While I agree with your post 100% I think we are going to see a change in Motorola going forward. With the iphone going to VZW motorola is going to take a good dent in sales of their devices. Motorola does a decent amount of sales on their other phones but their Droid branded phones are their bread and butter. We already see that they treat the Droid branded phones differently. All of Moto's Android devices outside the Droid brand have their full motoblur on them (and this includes the new Atrix going to ATT) but the Droid brand really only has the Blur widgets and does not require a motoblur account and that includes the Bionic. They are going to need to keep the root crowd happy in some way to keep sales brisk I am betting thats going to be with the Droid branded devices. So in the end they will have their typical user based phones with motoblur and their power user devices in the Droid brand and I am betting that the Droid brand will be fully unlocked starting with the Bionic.

i agree with your statement and i hope they unlock their phones in the future but im not so sure,,,,this community of rooters and what not may seem big but in the grand scheme of things is just a small % of people who purchace droids overall,,,,so they may not even care about the minority of those of us who want it unlocked ,,,like i said they would still profit nicely even without us ,but we will see hopefully they give us more recognition then i think and prove me wrong

 

[FragDroidX]

i agree with your statement and i hope they unlock their phones in the future but im not so sure,,,,this community of rooters and what not may seem big but in the grand scheme of things is just a small % of people who purchace droids overall,,,,so they may not even care about the minority of those of us who want it unlocked ,,,like i said they would still profit nicely even without us ,but we will see hopefully they give us more recognition then i think and prove me wrong

Yea, I guess its wishfull thinking on my part. What I am hoping is something similar for Android devices as what the computer world has.
In the computer world the power users push development with powerful graphics cards and overclockable porcessors that are a small fraction of sales but are the faces of the companies that produce them. I hope that in the Android world this turns out to be the Droid branded devices.

 

[nordy420]

I kind of feel cheated in a way. Almost like the droid x was false advertised. Why would you want to buy something that is 50% regulated. If moto and big ****** would have advertised the locked boot loader I would have shopped other brands. I find it crap because I have given moto a lot of money over the years then they screw us like this. Whatever, my wifes Htc isn't bad I may go that route next time around. GO MOTO in a time of recession you choose to screw the consumer, smart move.

 

[sic0048]

Actually this is Motorola's response (I added the bold emphasis) .....

Please Unlock the Droid X Bootloader

My idea is as follows:
1) Make nice with the Android community by making it possible to unlock the bootloader on Moto Android phones
2) Stop releasing phones with an impossible to unlock bootloader
3) Advertise that you have done steps 1 and 2
4) Continue to follow steps 1-3
5) PROFIT

In all seriousness though, I love my DX and the Bionic looks to have awesome specs as well. They are both full of fantastic hardware, but until you guys actually unlock the bootloader for people (read: people who are capable of handling the consequences of a bad kernel/ROM install) you will be losing me as a customer.

Please follow through with your statements about working with developers to unlock the bootloader. Please keep with the Android mindset of openness and fostering growth.

Mark (Forums Manager), Official Rep, replied 3 days ago
Thank you for suggesting this idea. We are looking into what caused the implement flag in our Get Satisfaction page, but we are not actively implementing the solution suggested above. As communicated yesterday, we are still looking at bootloader solutions that will meet the needs of both our developers and protect our end users. More information will be communicated closer to availability.

I’m happy to help
The company thinks this is one of the best points

There is no change in Motorola's stance. I'd be willing to bet money there never will be. Money talks, and they stand to loose more money than they would gain. (ie increase in support, returns, etc vs. the added sales by Android experts). Buy something else if you want custom ROMs. It is as simple as that.

PS - The "we are still looking at solutions....." quote also suggests that this is their standard answer since the phone was released. If they haven't decided to change their stance by now, they aren't going to. Don't read into this statement as an admittance that they actually are going to change.

Please Unlock the Droid X Bootloader

 

[nordy420]

I have no expectations for then and I know they exercising the"tell them what they wanna hear". They are typical, will not change until it is a must, but like someone else posted, take a stand and buy from another company and force them. Hell that is what they did with what the X had to offer. There are going to many phones coming or in the future from every cell company and I say we hand Moto out to dry. Even if you do not like the phone as much it would still be nice to be the ones to say STICK IT!!

 

[pjsockett]

Actually this is Motorola's response (I added the bold emphasis) .....


There is no change in Motorola's stance. I'd be willing to bet money there never will be. Money talks, and they stand to loose more money than they would gain. (ie increase in support, returns, etc vs. the added sales by Android experts). Buy something else if you want custom ROMs. It is as simple as that.

I certainly don't know the numbers but I am willing to bet that the return ratios between the original Droid and the DX aren't that different. I really don't think that they have seen a decline in support and return costs by locking the bootloader, if anything I would think more people are damaging their phones and trying to return them under the current system. The fact is the unlocked bootloader makes it much easier to fix things on your own with out the need of Moto or Verizon support.

Again, I have no hard facts to back this statement, just my opinion. They have done things both ways and have the hard numbers. Unless the return ratio dropped drastically on the DX I see no valid reason to block users from using a phone that they purchased in whatever manner they choose. Simply put the liability back on the user and let them decide for themselves.

 

[Deleted User]

I kind of feel cheated in a way. Almost like the droid x was false advertised. Why would you want to buy something that is 50% regulated. If moto and big ****** would have advertised the locked boot loader I would have shopped other brands. I find it crap because I have given moto a lot of money over the years then they screw us like this.

Rooting and unlocking phones has always been something that has varied in difficulty and feasibility by phone and is never something that's really known at the outset. It's not like this is a surprise. All of the major smartphone operating systems have varying levels of hack-ability depending on the OS and the hardware. If you didn't know that, okay, but that's not up to Motorola to provide to you. This is a fringe community and none of us should be expecting them to advertise their friendliness towards operating outside their support model.

Heck, look at the HTC G2. HTC has a history of quietly ignoring the rooting community and suddenly they throw a curveball.

If you want to buy a rooting/ROMing friendly phone, you have two choices: buy a Nexus, or delay gratification for a while until the phone you want has been tested by the dev community.

I guess I just don't feel that it's the responsibility of the manufacturers to provide us with development-friendly phones. It's not Sony's responsibility to provide hacking-friendly PS3s. As someone who works with an embedded hardware/software platform of a different type, it's not my responsibility to provide the ability to modify our platform either.

Manufacturers will always sell what makes the most money. If people will buy a locked bootloader and locking it provides them even a 1% profit in some way, then it's worth it. Definitely take your dollars elsewhere if you don't like their approach to the bootloader - but abusing them about it isn't, in my opinion, the right approach. It's a free market.

 

[nordy420]

I agree that it is not the responsibility of the company to encourage development of their products, but let me ask you a question, would you be mad if you bought a new car that comes with a burnt valve and there was nothing you could do about it? Now what if that company took the liberty in telling you this information, but offered you a discount for the completed transaction? Moto is not required or obligated to give us this luxury, but the information before hand would have been very nice. That is all I am saying.

 

[FreeWELL]

I agree that it is not the responsibility of the company to encourage development of their products, but let me ask you a question, would you be mad if you bought a new car that comes with a burnt valve and there was nothing you could do about it? Now what if that company took the liberty in telling you this information, but offered you a discount for the completed transaction? Moto is not required or obligated to give us this luxury, but the information before hand would have been very nice. That is all I am saying.

It's not their responsibility? They put out MOTOdev Studio, try to create their own "app market" through it, and you don't think it's their responsibility provide those who invest their time in money in developing for their devices a viable platform which to build upon? To release source code in a timely fashion? By the time they release source, it's obsolete, not to mention incomplete.

You are right in one aspect, it's perfectly within their juridiction to shoot themselves in the foot!

 

[Coolguy71261]

It bothers me that my phone will be able to skull drag some of the other 1ghz phones yet they will get support way past gingerbread. Htc is horrible I owned an Eris and it was way behind even when it was released. Ill just use my x till it's death unless moto unlocks it's bootloader.

 

[Metfanant]

would you be mad if you bought a new car that comes with a burnt valve and there was nothing you could do about it? Now what if that company took the liberty in telling you this information, but offered you a discount for the completed transaction?

that example is not even in the same UNIVERSE as Moto locking the bootloader...