On the launch of the Motorola Droid X, rumors surfaced that a chip known as ‘eFuse’ would brick the phone after any attempt to run custom ROMs. Motorola has stated this will not happen, but it does go into “Recovery Mode” when booted with unauthorized software. Reinstalling the Motorola software will restore it to normal. So the phone will not become unusable, but it is quite possibly unhackable.
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Droid X Rumor Debunked
- Thread starter John_Keck
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faugusztin
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Debunked ? Where ? Where is the difference between bricked and can be restored to original status via Motorola for fee versus it is in recovery mode and can be restored to original status via Motorola for fee ?
Well thats stupid. Their going to shoot themselves in the foot if its truly unhackable. The main reason people have these phones are that they ARE capable of running multiple ROMS. Im running a moto droid with a modded ROM from the incredible. It lasts longer is faster and has more bells and whistles. Honestly though it may take only a couple of weeks longer to crack it 
faugusztin
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@AVT, @snekrz: No, it won't. Look at the Motorola Milestone - released at end of 2009, still no custom ROMs, not even close. All we got is root, but considering how crashy Milestone is, custom ROMs would be blessing.
This is because bootloader requires signed kernels with corect keys - and the only one having the keys is Motorola. So once you load different kernel, for example kernel of Froyo, then it won't load = same thing applies to Droid X.
This is because bootloader requires signed kernels with corect keys - and the only one having the keys is Motorola. So once you load different kernel, for example kernel of Froyo, then it won't load = same thing applies to Droid X.
D
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one can never win via defense alone, because the hackers are on the offense and what they are trying to break stays static, it just takes time for the offense (the hackers) to find a way.
SamuraiInBlack
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so because nobody's cracked it in less a year means its automagically unhackable and should give up immediately?
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
Leave it to Motorola/Verizon to put out an Android-based phone that's more locked down than Apple's Iphone/Ipad.
Telling the users 'you can only use Motorola approved software' for an Android device? Bah!
http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/07/01/att.thinks.android.market.limit.needed.for.users/
AT&T does this to Android phones as well. Well, maybe not lock ROMS down in this case, but prevent the freedom Android is supposed to be all about.
faugusztin
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No. But you should not buy a device which is known to have this thing built in. When i bought my phone, no one knew that the bootloader is signed - and in meantime all we got is a possibility to load custom kernels via kext, which is yet to be confirmed if it works :
http://and-developers.com/motorola_milestone
Of course, maybe in USA it is normal to throw away your phone after 2 years, but considering Milestone is less than 1 year old and right now the status of Froyo update for Milestone is "under consideration" makes me simply impossible to trust Motorola to have updates for the phone at least durring the warranty period (which ends at start of 2012 btw). Maybe we, Milestone users will not get even Froyo, and because bootloader requires signed kernel, it is impossible to put it here via custom ROM.
Can't blame Verizon for this, this is all Motorola.
bucket
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Haha, I enjoy irony as well.
Greenstuffs
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still very mod unfriendly, reminds me the shackles they put in the iphone.
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Bricked means it'll never work or has to be sent out to be fixed. This just means you reset and install the factory software and you have a working phone. It will probably be worked around anyway.
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Well thats stupid. Their going to shoot themselves in the foot if its truly unhackable. The main reason people have these phones are that they ARE capable of running multiple ROMS. Im running a moto droid with a modded ROM from the incredible. It lasts longer is faster and has more bells and whistles. Honestly though it may take only a couple of weeks longer to crack it
The milestone, DROID in Europe, is the same way in that it can not be rooted. I think you are over-estimating the enthusiast rooting/ROM community. Android is still more open than some other mobile platforms even with a locked bootloader. Honestly the target market just wants a fancy phone.
I sent instructions on how to get Froyo on a co-workers DROID, he is a gadget guy, and was told it was too complicated. I didn't think it was, but 98% of the people out there will. Would it have been nice for Moto to leave it unlocked? Hell yea. Was it a bad business decision? Those that choose not to get this phone for that reason won't even register a blip on Verizon/Motorola's radar. IMO it is much ado about nothing with Gizmodo leading the charge oddly enough.
Also recall that this tech is already built in to the SoC
http://focus.ti.com/general/docs/wt...ntId=14649&navigationId=12643&templateId=6123
faugusztin
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And could you please say me how ? Well, you can do it - in Motorola service center, for fee - which will mean same as bricked.
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Do you have a Droid? When you enter the recovery menu it gives you the option to reflash.
faugusztin
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I have a Milestone.
But you forget one thing - this is not the Droid, this is a completely different product, with builtin HW protection. So how can be you so sure that in case you install a ROM which will trigger the eFuse, then you will have the option of reflashing it with stock ROM instead of a nice "Please bring your device to the nearest Motorola Service Center" message ?
But you forget one thing - this is not the Droid, this is a completely different product, with builtin HW protection. So how can be you so sure that in case you install a ROM which will trigger the eFuse, then you will have the option of reflashing it with stock ROM instead of a nice "Please bring your device to the nearest Motorola Service Center" message ?
Not really. Google spends considerable development in Android, Motorola and HTC don't.
candy76man
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lol, I won't buy one unless I know I can use custom roms so moto lost a customer if they really did that. I have a moto droid now and the fact that I can run any number of different roms on it to get the features and speed I want is what I love about it and what keeps me from getting bored with it.
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The built in protection is in your milestone as well, built in to all OMAP SoCs, so you should know better than I. What happens when you attempt to flash a different ROM? On my droid when there is an issue it brings up the recovery menu and allows me to flash a recovery image. I have used it for a bad flash in which I read linux directions and had to go back to stock 2.1
If it were to brick the phone like you say, and I don't believe it would, chances are we could take it to a local Verizon store and have the official ROM restored and most likely for free. Not sure how those in other countries would handle it.
You are looking at the glass half empty and assuming it can't be fixed by the end-user and most be sent away. I'm a bit more optimistic and think it will bring up the recovery menu and restore the factory ROM. I guess we'll see in a few weeks how it really is.
faugusztin
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There are NO custom ROMs for Milestone yet, because of the protection. As i said before, all we got is possibility of root and that is pretty much what has been achieved.
And as i said before, the only real method for now seems the kexec method :
http://and-developers.com/motorola_milestone
That means the original kernel boots, loads one module which loads the new kernel from the "ROM" which then can be anything :
And as i said before, the only real method for now seems the kexec method :
http://and-developers.com/motorola_milestone
That means the original kernel boots, loads one module which loads the new kernel from the "ROM" which then can be anything :
faugusztin
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PS silentbob343: And sorry, i will not try to flash any ROM on my 500€ Milestone.
You just flash the official firmware again. Its not so hard if you made a backup of the original firmware. If you have the tools to flash an unofficial firmware on the phone then you can re-flash a backup. No need to send it to Motorolla.
Runningflame570
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This is why the GPL3 was made.
They have to pay people to design the UI, whatever additional software they provide, to port it to every phone they create and tweak it's performance to each one. It still is a lot of time and money even if they don't have to do the heavy part of OS development.
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This... Android phones are hundreds of orders of magnitude more open than an iClone even with a locked bootloader for a few weeks.
+1.
I've really enjoyed my Droid, but this bootloader lockdown is BS. My phone is a physical device owned by ME. Motorola doesn't get to tell me what I can do with it.
And yes, I paid full price for my phone...no carrier subsidizing here.
If an Android phone is locked and you can get around it, it's fine. If an iPhone is locked and you can get around it, it's bad. Amirite?
Check this out: http://linuxoniphone.blogspot.com/2010/04/ive-been-working-on-this-quietly-in.html
Yes the manufacturers do as well. Motorola/HTC/Samsung/Etc license the drivers for the chipsets from the chipset manufacturer based on the feature set they want the phone to have and include it in the ROM. Also, they customize the ROMs as one of the biggest features of HTC Android phones is HTC Sense, do you think they want their product running on Motorola phones?
If it was ok, then how come we can just take a copy of Windows 7 from Dell and install it all over the place on any PC we wanted?
I understand this goes against the point of Android OS, but for me(a Droid X) owner, I really don't care. The phone works fine for me and I don't see the point of rooting/flashing my phone anyways. What will I get from flashing a ROM that will make the phone FUNCTION better than stock?
I have no need to overclock and there's a ton of apps on the market if I need something.
I have no need to overclock and there's a ton of apps on the market if I need something.
Android 2.2, without waiting for Motorola's update delays. This is a big one - 2.2 is very, very nice.
Future Android updates, without worrying whether Motorola will EOL your phone and cease coding updates for it.
Wi-fi tethering, without paying extra money to Verizon and without the arbitrary (and useless) 2 GB/mo cap.
The potential for further customization beyond what stock Android has to offer.
Being able to get rid of Motoblur. (Even if it is just a collection of widgets at this point.)
faugusztin
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It will work longer. As i said previously, for example the Froyo for Milestone is not even a 100% sure thing ! Now G1 has it, Dream, Magic etc will probably have it - but if Motorola will not release it then Milestone will not have Froyo, becase you can't just take the code from Google and put it on the phone like you can see on all other Android phones. You need the signature, and you won't get it, means you are screwed, means you need to buy a new phone instead of your not even a year old phone, because the manufacturer of the phone stopped supporting it.
Just look at the DEXT owners, they are still stuck at Android 1.6.