Motorola Confirm Locked DROID 2 And DROID X Bootloaders

Hacking the Motorola DROID X and DROID 2 may be a significantly tougher prospect, thanks to the confirmation that the company will be locking the bootloaders of their future Android handsets.  The bootloader – which is used to install custom ROMs that add new, unofficial functionality or streamline the Android user-experience – will be secured so as to prevent non-Motorola ROMs being loaded, the company says, explaining that the open bootloader on the DROID was the exception rather than the rule.

As for why they made that exception, there's only the mysterious explanation that Motorola had "a specific business reason for doing so."  In contrast, the European version of the DROID – the Motorola Milestone – had a locked bootloader, as do all of the other Android smartphones from the company.

"The use of open source software, such as the Linux kernel or the Android platform, in a consumer device does notrequire the handset running such software to be open for re-flashing.  We comply with the licenses, including GPLv2, for each of the open source packages in our handsets." Motorola

[via Android Community]