The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

Sony Ericsson sanctions smartphone boot loader unlocking

Pledges to provide the tools

Sony Ericsson is to allow "advanced" Android coders to unlock the boot loader built into its latest smartphones.

Gaining access to a handset's boot loader is a key stage in installing alternative firmware on a phone, a process a fair few Android fans like to undertake in order to rid themselves of network operator-installed add-ons and to gain access to more up-to-date versions of the Google OS.

SE, like most handset makers, has frowned on this in the past, largely, it now says, because it couldn't devise a scheme to make this possible without treading on the toes of "business partners" - read 'carriers' - and developers keen to maintain the secure environment which makes it that bit harder to nick their apps.

SE now reckons it has a solution to the problem: a way to make the boot loader accessible without offending carriers' and commercial coders' interests.

Today, it pledged to make this solution available to all.

There are catches, of course. Unlocking the boot loader will zap your smartphone's warranty, SE warned. If you screw up, it implied, don't come running to us. Ditto if the firmware you install messes with the power sub-system causing your phone to overheat and explode, etc, etc.

And only certain phones will be supported: the Xperias Arc, Neo, Pro and Play - and then only "certain releases of the phones". That means a network operator Sim lock.

SE's tip: if the Android SDK's Fastboot facility can't connect to your phone, your phone can't have its boot loader unlocked using the official method.

SE didn't say when the boot loader unlock tool will be made available, but it promised it would provide more details "later this spring". ®

About time.

One small step for man.

.

Somehow I doubt returning control of hardware to it's rightful owners will become fashionable though.

2
0

Redeemed?

Having been a Sony fan for years - TVs, surround sound, ps3, phones, I swore last year that I would never buy a Sony Ericsson or Sony device again, following a ridiculous experience with my Xperia X10 phone - outlandish bugs, crapware, no updates, blatant apathy from customer service, and a locked bootloader to prevent me installing roms that actually work.

Then this week they announce they'll deliver Gingerbread to the X10, and future phones will have bootloader unlocked? Significant steps in the right direction.

Shame for Sony I've switched to HTC as a result, and I've recommended to people to avoid SE, but now I might consider them again if they stay competitive with this sort of approach.

1
0

Good news

This seems like a decent compromise - provide tools so "advanced" users can flash a custom ROM but make it clear it invalidates much of your support if you do so. A bit like Google does with the Nexus, in fact.

Might consider a Sony Ericsson handset now...

1
0

How interesting

Ericsson seems to be a moderating influence on Sony. Perhaps if Ericsson had helped to develop the PS3, we might still have OtherOS on there....

1
0

Sony has solved the biggest complain about the Xperia

The biggest complain about Xperia Pro is that it will stop at Android 2.1.

This gives the ones that complain a method to go to 2.2 and beyond (the hardware is quite good actually) and Sony does not need to bother with trying to keep Timescape alive on old hardware.

Here you go, stop complaining, GFDI :)

1
0

More from The Register

 breaking news
Apple cored: Samsung sells 10 million Galaxy S4 in a month
Beware of South Koreans bearing Android
Microsoft reveals Xbox One, the console that can read your heartbeat
Upgrades Live service – and no always-on requirement
US boffin builds 32-way Raspberry Pi cluster
Beowulf cluster built for the price of a single PC
Review: HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook
All roads lead to Chrome?
Euro PC shipments plummet into bottomless pit of DOOOOM
11th quarter of decline, 20pc drop on last year - Gartner
STROKE this mouse to make apps POP, says Microsoft
Windows 8 Start button comes to Redmond's rodents
Nintendo throws flaming legal barrel at YouTubing fans
All your walk-through vid revenue are belong to us

Hands on with Hyper-V 3.0 and virtual machine movement

Our award-winning Regcasts have teamed up with training provider QA for the deepest of deep dives into Hyper-V, including a live demo.

Understand VM movement - just click to play, or go here for a bigger version.