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27 May 2011, 10:03

HTC to officially stop locking bootloaders on Android smartphones

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HTC Logo Smartphone manufacturer HTC has officially announced that it will no longer lock the bootloaders on its devices. The Taiwan-based company's announcement comes just days after an online petition to unlock the bootloaders and disable the NAND protection on HTC phones garnered over 7,000 votes.

In a post on social networking site Facebook, HTC CEO Peter Chou said: "There has been overwhelmingly customer feedback that people want access to open bootloaders on HTC phones. I want you to know that we've listened. Today, I'm confirming we will no longer be locking the bootloaders on our devices."

Details as to exactly when the new policy will begin and if existing phones will receive updates to unlock the bootloaders has yet to be confirmed.

Unlocked bootloaders make it easier for modders to install custom firmware, like that provided by the CyanogenMod project, on their devices. Custom firmware often includes more features or a newer version of the underlying Android OS such as the latest 2.3.x "Gingerbread release". The H reminds users that, as with all custom firmware, inexperienced users are advised not to flash their devices as they could unintentionally "brick" them, resulting in a complete loss of functionality.

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(crve)

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