DROID X, DROID 2 Won't Allow Custom ROMs
So much for loading custom ROMS on the new DROID smartphones.
Various reports are indicating that both the Motorola DROID X and DROID 2 smartphones will ship with a locked and encrypted (aka digitally signed) bootloader. This will mean that owners will not have the ability to flash custom ROMS that are not officially approved and signed by Motorola. This will also put a strain on developers who sell ROOT-only apps on the Android Market.
So much for the "open" platform.
Although the original DROID isn't locked, the move follows similar actions taken with the internationally-launched Motorola Milestone. Apparently Motorola didn't like the idea of consumers flashing the DROID with custom ROMs, and thus locked out owners and developers with the next smartphone release. The Android modding community was outraged, however Motorola felt justified in its move.
"Securing the software on our handsets, thereby preventing a non-Motorola ROM image from being loaded, has been our common practice for many years," explained Lori Fraleigh in this Motorola blog back in February. "This practice is driven by a number of different business factors. When we do deviate from our normal practice, such as we did with the DROID, there is a specific business reason for doing so. We understand this can result in some confusion, and apologize for any frustration."
Naturally hackers will find a way to modify the DROID X and DROID 2--it may take longer than seen with the DROID, but it will eventually happen. Still, the modding community has options, as Motorola apparently suggested the Nexus One, the T-Mobile G1 or the HTC Dream as platforms for developing unofficial ROMS.
The Motorola DROID X will be available online and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores Thursday for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.
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It's like mototola are going BACKWARDS.. why the hell would you give up freedom? oh yeah..
who cares.. so you don't want your software to be removed or improved upon..
Boo!
Now I feel even better about the HTC Incredible that is in the mail.....glad I did not wait for the Droid X
Motorola makes the device. They can lock it if they want. If you don't like it, don't buy it.
Motorola makes the device. They can lock it if they want. If you don't like it, don't buy it.
+1
besides, moto is encouraging us to get other devices, like the N1 and the others... We better listen.
One step closer to Apple now....
I don't get it. Is Motorola blind? By using Android you signed up for the Open Handset Alliance. It's exactly that, OPEN. Not closed, you numbnuts at Motorola...
Ok, I was sold ... but this has changed my mind.
I will NEVER by ANYTHING from a company that acts that way.
Locking things works pretty good for Apple, they are giving a shot. Sadly their consumers arent as blind as Apple fanbois are.
I think this is because by rooting the phone you can bypass some things you would normally need to pay for with a Verizon contract, specifically tethering, which would normally cost an extra 20 bucks a month. Rooting the phone allows users to tether without the extra cost. I was totally going to take advantage of that with the Droid X too...
Just when I read an article saying RIM was losing it's touch. I was seriousy considering moving away from RIM but I'll be sticking with BlackBerry for a long time to come. Might not be the flashiest phone but with a little AP called Tether, which I'm using right now to post this, I get internet anywhere I get service with no extra charge.
this is why i still have a G1, load superfast rom and ur good to go. no need in spending hundreds every time a new phone comes out..
You can Tether from any Android based phone with out root or fee with PDAnet
They're doing this to allow Verizon to sell value-add options like wifi tethering. If you can hack the rom you can get that free.
This action might hurt you Motorola for market shares. I will wait to see what winmo will offer before i buy a smartphone.
Get a Palm phone, they're so open that you don't even have to install custom ROMs in order to have new functions.
android confuses me a bit:
ok, so WHY do you need custom ROMS? am I right in assume that the 'ROM' is pretty much the OS? and moto modify the base android OS so they have custom UI and apps and shit? and thats why moto has to specifically implement any update to the core OS that google releases? BUT after 3.0, google isn't going to let any of the manufactures modify their base OS anymore? so they can supply updates to EVERYONE all at once?
can you still run apps from any source on the moto ROM? or is it android marketplace only? why would any apps be ROOT-Only? what extra functionality do you gain by ROOTING a device?
like... I always assumed Android was like a desktop OS, like even Mac OSX lets you do what ever you want with all the hardware? whats different in android?
I was so disappointed with my Motorola 918 that I vowed never to buy another of their phones, and along came android. With my contract with Verizon ending next month, I was reading up on the Droid X. Thanks Tom's for this article, no Moto for me. I think I will start reading up on the HTC phones.
wow im surprised i like the moto cliq, but i guess i might stay away from future motorola phones, i got burned by htc so kind of didnt want to go that way but i guess g1 is ok, though the cliq is like improved g1 just wish it has as big of a keyboard and that .1" screen which you cant really tell lol
either way ill be sticking with devices i can flash custom roms that get rid of bloated stuff and can make improvements after the manufactur desides to ditch the device even if its fully capable of running new os...
locked ROMS are like if you had windows installed and you couldnt change things around and only d/l software that was at an app store, i think u would get pretty pissed off quick
or its like trying to run a embedded os on your desktop
its been proven time and time again that custom roms rock or have the potentional vs stock, i have yet to see someone make custom rom that fails and stock is better LOL
I have a Droid and I haven't felt the need to Root it. My phone is one of the few things in life that I don't try to OC or over customized. From reading the comments it seems like this is a pretty big thing though, maybe Moto should back down from this.
"Naturally hackers will find a way to modify the DROID X"
No thay won't because it's too expensive - DROID X selfdestructs if you try modding it. http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/0 [...] to-mod-it/
You would have to burn several devices trying...
Kevin, please do us a favour and sound a little less jeering. Andriod is still open, a single crappy company who makes Andriod phones isn't.
Still, sucks for the users (or soon-to-be-ex-users) of Motorola phones. As sh*t as they are.
Droid self destructs upon modding: http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/0 [...] to-mod-it/
Stupid. Android had the techie market. The users who don't even know what a ROM is are just as likely to buy Apple.
For those of us whom only have the single cell phone as your only line of making phone calls... best not to mess up your phone by loading a bugged custom rom that will brick your phone...
That Droid X dosnt look so awesome anymore does it?
LOL glad I didnt get Motorola, their UI sucks anyways.
Well, I guess you can always buy an EVO 4G... custom"er" rom's available.
Ok I keep hearing about this HTC Incredible but when I look at HTC website I only see the Hero and the Legend. Where do people get their info on this phone cause I'm really interested?
Ok, I was sold ... but this has changed my mind.I will NEVER by ANYTHING from a company that acts that way.
Then which company, pray tell, do you plan to buy from? There's not a single cellphone company on the planet that wouldn't "act this way" if they believed it protected their assets like Motorola does.
There it goes the Apple way ...
Won't be long, before someone finds out how to remotely format the flash memory, and install custom roms.