HTC gained a lot of credit with Android fans when it announced recently that it would no longer be locking bootloaders on its Android devices. There was concern, however, that the change would not apply to several devices that on the verge of release when the decision was made.
That changed on Sunday when HTC announced via their Facebook page that the global HTC Sensation, the HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile USA, and the HTC EVO 3D on Sprint would all receive updates to unlock their bootloaders. The new feature is currently in testing and will roll out to all three devices over the course of late August and early September.
What may be even more exciting is that HTC isn’t done yet. While no specific models have been named, HTC plans to include unlocking in future maintenance releases for other devices. That means there’s a chance that devices launched well before the May announcement (like the HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon, which has been notoriously difficult to unlock) have a chance of seeing the same benefits. Who knows, it might even get rolled into updates for even older handsets. I know I’d appreciate a nice surprise whenever my HTC Droid Incredible gets a Gingerbread update.
Bootloader changes are admittedly not a big deal to most of the consumer market. The minority concerned with the option are among the most vocal customers, and many of them have a lot of influence on the buying decisions of their less technically-inclined friends and relatives. HTC is clearly determined to set themselves apart from more locked down manufacturers like Motorola, whose highly-anticipated Droid 3 was just released with a locked bootloader, despite promises from the company to stop locking bootloaders by later this year. For the modders out there, let’s hope the market rewards HTC’s decision to follow through on their promise quickly and broadly.
Comments are closed.