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Root Motorola ready to make sweet love to Android ROM devs and rooters?

Doubtful. I think it's just a PR stunt for now. I have no idea why they changed their policy after the OG (even the Milestone is locked down). Still, let's have hope that they do since I definitely don't want a Sammy phone/toy, and I really like Moto's heavier hardware vs. HTC's. If you haven't seen this open letter to Moto, check it out (I also posted it on Engadget a few minutes ago):
Open Letter to Motorola concerning its policies on Android | Eric Richardson
 
dreadnatty08 said:
Doubtful. I think it's just a PR stunt for now. I have no idea why they changed their policy after the OG (even the Milestone is locked down). Still, let's have hope that they do since I definitely don't want a Sammy phone/toy, and I really like Moto's heavier hardware vs. HTC's. If you haven't seen this open letter to Moto, check it out (I also posted it on Engadget a few minutes ago):
Open Letter to Motorola concerning its policies on Android | Eric Richardson
Click to expand...

Interesting.
 
If Moto did make a change, i would expect them to release the phones the sameway they are now. And then after say a calendar year has passed they would release the key to unlock the bootloader. That way the phones almost get a second release day so to speak. Or, i also could just see them charging you a one time fee for the release key on an individual basis to unlock the phone! You can bet moto is not going to do anything for free or the good of the people or android devs. It will be for the good of moto's bottom line. :(
 
bamaredwingsfan said:
If Moto did make a change, i would expect them to release the phones the sameway they are now. And then after say a calendar year has passed they would release the key to unlock the bootloader. That way the phones almost get a second release day so to speak. Or, i also could just see them charging you a one time fee for the release key on an individual basis to unlock the phone! You can bet moto is not going to do anything for free or the good of the people or android devs. It will be for the good of moto's bottom line. :(
Click to expand...
OPTICALDELUSION: Clearly you have no idea what an eFuse is. As you can see, what you propose is not the way that Motorola is now, nor will ever do this.

We all know that Motorola makes a superior device. What Motorola needs to realize once and for all is that the only people who are true Moto customers and appreciate the quality of their devices are the 'tech crowd'. I know TONS of people who aren't cell phone hackers and are perfectly willing to settle with the poor quality of their plastic HTC device, or all the dropped calls/poor signal of every other device, etc., etc., etc. be it Samsung, LG, Blackberry, Sanyo, Nokia, etc.

Motorola's last great phone was the MotoRazr. For me I only got into the CDMA version, the V3m. Now when we had a V3m with a firmware that started with "NEWC_" we were golden. We tech people could take and unlock all of it's potential. We could even find leaked full firmware flash files for other carriers that were a more 'pure' Moto UI and get them to still work on VZW. But once Moto started releasing later razr versions and the V3m firmware versions that started with "24_" with the same strategy as now; a locked bootloader, their sales dropped off.

So then they leaked to the 'hacker' community that the sholes, a new Android device was coming and it would be totally open; I first heard about it almost two years ago. It wasn't marketed like an iPhone, but look where it has taken Motorola now. It again brought Moto back into the black. However, again, they are shooting themselves in the durn foot by making every next release not as good as the first, hell even the sister/brother; the Milestone has the encrypted bootloader verification.

So, as I mentioned above, when Motorola finally realizes that it is the 'hacker' and 'tech' community that is their main support maybe finally they will stop all the BS and keep their sales on an even keel. But we as said 'hacker' and 'tech' community should try to do our part and not let friends hack/root their friend's phones, lol. . . . .
 
Back in the day, a struggling computer company named Commodore released what was, at the time, one of the most stunning computers ever made: The Amiga. It ran rings around IBM-based PCs and could do things that PCs could only dream of (ironically enough, using a Motorola chipset) with a fraction of the memory requirements.

But Commodore didn't market it as well as they should have. After the Amiga 3000 (the TV show Babylon 5's awesome graphics were Amiga-based), the company shriveled up support for it and, as a result, went out of business shortly thereafter.

Sure, a lot of people will buy a Motorola device with no intention of rooting or ROMming it... but the hard-core enthusiasts are the ones who - IMHO - will make or break Motorola. And bad news travels faster than good news. Motorola stands on the brink between amazing Android success and an obscure place in the history books alongside Commodore.

Something as seemingly small as their decision to lock or unlock their bootloaders will determine their fate. Will they or won't they?

Only time will tell, but I'm prepared to keep my Droid as a museum piece, a relic of the glory days of a once-great company. We'll see.
 
When I am eligible for a new phone, I will consider another Motorola if they unlock it so I can avail myself of the great work the ROM and app development community have done and will do. If the Moto is locked or the resources too skimpy, they will lose my business to whoever has the hottest and most capable Android phone. I like my day 1 Droid but time doesn't stand still, nor should Moto!
 
almahix said:
When I am eligible for a new phone, I will consider another Motorola if they unlock it so I can avail myself of the great work the ROM and app development community have done and will do. If the Moto is locked or the resources too skimpy, they will lose my business to whoever has the hottest and most capable Android phone. I like my day 1 Droid but time doesn't stand still, nor should Moto!
Click to expand...

QFT. When I first got my Droid, rooting seemed so far off. Now that I've done it, it will weigh HEAVILY in my decision as to what I replace it with, and when. I follow @peteralfonso on Twitter, and people ask him quite often about what he thinks of newer phones. I'd wager that if he ever endorsed an upcoming device (for opennes), that would boost sales as well as any ad campaign.
 
Anyone who thinks that Motorola's success or any other Android handset makers success depends on the rooting and roming community is delusional. The root community is small, maybe 1-5% at the absolute most of Android users, this is not a large enough number to make or break any handset manufacturer no matter what enthusiasts think like I said, they make up an extremely small part of the market.
 
True dat... but a lot of non-tech people rely on the reviews and suggestions of tech people for their phones. If enough modders poo-poo a phone, word will get out and it would likely affect the sales of phones to non-modders. We may be talking only 10% of total sales here, but with 300,000 Android activations a day it adds up fast to a company's bottom line.
 
^^ this was my point exactly. The big tech guys like ROM developers will influence us, who will influence our smaller circles. For example, looking at how Samsung is lagging on updates, I'd steer my friends away from their phones until I see faster updates. If enough of us do this sort of thing, couldn't that impact their sales and reputation?
 
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