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ASUS issued a quick update on the unlock/root tool for their Transformer Prime tablet, tweeting that the software should be delivered in February. ASUS promised the tool after users from the dev community discovered the slate shipped with a locked bootloader that prevented owners from installing custom versions of the Android operating system onto the device. The tools that ASUS will provide will open up a world of possibilities for modders and hackers looking to take full advantage of the Prime’s powerful hardware but do come with the caveat that the device’s warranty will be voided.
February is looking to be a big month for ASUS in terms of software. The company will deliver Ice Cream Sandwich to the original Transformer in addition to the software unlock for the prime.
[ASUS via AndroidCentral]
hooray!
I don’t see why more companies allow this…doesn’t this just imply more people voiding their warranties = less $ spend on replacements etc? Or are they that confident in their product, that the replacement costs are meaningless?
Or am I just missing something (like extra time/labour required to make it rootable?)
I doubt it has anything to do with that. More likely it’s the content providers (i.e. Netflix) not wanting users to do things with the device that they don’t approve of. Such as getting apps to run on devices they don’t want it to, or being able to capture video/audio directly from an app, etc. So they demand the hardware manufacturers lock down their devices to prevent this.
What you’re missing is these companies put an unlocking tool, which makes a person register their unlocked device. If you rooted and unlocked the bootloader, they have your name and model number. It’s not like regular rooting where you can just unroot and there’s your warranty back. If you use their tool and then try to send your device in for repair they will look you up, and turn you down. It ends up costing them a fortune less money, and maybe they will get extra money when the consumer buys a newer device since they can’t get theirs fixed.
Will unlocking the bootloader wipe all data from the tablet? I’m just wondering if I should invest in heavily customizing things before unlocking.