It’s funny, HTC makes some of the best Android devices on the market, from a specification and build quality perspective, but then they molest Google’s mobile operating system with their Sense overlay because they somehow think that as a hardware maker they understand software better than Google engineers. They then reach out to the community and ask them what they want in future HTC devices, and the community unanimously agrees that they need an unlocked bootloader, which in layman’s terms is the capability to install a different version of Android on your phone because you can’t stand the default configuration. HTC agrees to the demands and portray themselves as heros for listening to their users, which is ironic since their customers essentially call out Sense for being a steaming pile of code. Anyway, when will HTC start unlocking their bootloaders and how will they do it? This official statement was just released on their Facebook page:
Since our last update, many of you have asked how the bootloader unlocking process will actually work, and in particular why HTC’s most recently released devices still have a locked bootloader. Rest assured we’re making progress toward our goal to roll out the first software updates in August to support unlocking for the global HTC Sensation, followed soon by the HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile and the HTC EVO 3D on Sprint. Because unlocking the bootloader provides extensive control over the device and modifications may cause operation, security and experience issues, new devices will continue to ship locked but will support user-initiated unlocking using a new Web-based tool.
So how will this work? The Web tool, which will launch this month, requires that you register an account with a valid e-mail address and accept legal disclaimers that unlocking may void all or parts of your warranty. Then plug in your phone to a computer with the Android SDK loaded to retrieve a device identifier token, which you can then enter into the Web tool to receive a unique unlock key via e-mail. Finally, apply the key to your device and unlocking will be initiated on your phone.
We’re excited to bring bootloader unlocking to developers and enthusiasts, and we feel this new Web tool will meet your needs and continue to provide customers with the best experience. Thanks to the community for supporting these efforts!
In other words, if you want the pure Android experience and the safety of a device warranty, buy the Nexus S or Nexus One or better yet, wait for the Nexus Prime due out later this year.