“Better late than never” is the adage Motorola apparently has adopted for its bootloader unlocking tool. After promising an initial release for late 2011, the Chicagoland Android manufacturer has finally got around to making good on its promise. Today, they have opened up their unlocking website.
Don’t get too excited, though. It appears to be quite limited as to its selection of devices available for unlocking. At the moment, they’ve only got the yet-to-be-released Photon Q, Razr developer edition, and XOOM appearing on the “Supported Devices” page. However, these devices are just part of their initial roll out and “additional devices will be added progressively.”
Considering they’re eight months tardy on the unlock program, I’m not expecting a ton of their phones to appear very soon if at all. Too many OEM’s have been quick to cut ties with their older devices that have more than capable hardware. Look at the X2 for example. This was one of the early phones with a dual core processor, the Tegra 2. But Motorola has been treating it like a redheaded stepchild with little support and no chances for major updates. I, personally, was an owner of this device but ultimately got rid of it partly because I figured it’d never get an official ICS upgrade but mostly because the bootloader was locked making it impossible for developers to take over its progress.
Regardless, it is promising news to see Motorola taking on HTC’s and ASUS’s approach. Much like their sites, you’ll be prompted to sign up and check “yes” to all the warnings of warranty breaking and risk-taking. Considering how dated Gingerbread feels in a world of Ice Cream Sandwiches and Jelly Beans, I expect the Android community will be watching the site daily to see if their beloved handset makes the cut.
How about you all? Any Motorola users out there chomping at the bit to unlock their bootloader? I know if I still had my X2, I’d be praying that I’d see it pop up in the coming weeks.