Wait, is this for real? The company that striketh console jailbreakers with smite and other things that sound Biblical now actually launches a site specifically for unlocking its Android phones? Yes, Sony Ericsson just launched a website where owners of the company’s latest Android phones can go to to unlock their devices. It’s unreal - but a very welcome move, and hopefully a sign of things to come for
other companies.In a world where you never actually really own any device you buy, a world in which your devices are locked down, it’s actually incredibly refreshing to see a phone maker supporting enthusiasts this way. Of course, the company does clearly state that rooting your device - unlocking your bootloader - to run custom ROMs may void your warranty, and that it’s unsupported. They even cover their bums by stating it could damage your phone or even cause injuries due to overheating.
“Therefore, you should only unlock the boot loader of your phone if you are an advanced user with good knowledge of the technology and risks involved,” the site reads, “We strongly recommend that standard users NOT unlock the boot loader, as it is not needed. We are proud to deliver great phone experiences through our rigorously tested and official software releases.”
The actual unlocking is a 14-step process which requires the Android SDK, but overall, it doesn’t look particularly difficult of complicated. It currently only works for or will work for phones from 2011, such as the Xperia arc, Xperia neo, Xperia pro and Xperia PLAY, and then only of they are unbranded.
This is a great move by Sony Ericsson, and I’m hoping this will set a trend. It would be awesome if other phone makers set up similar websites, finally opening up to us enthousiasts. It’s about time these companies realise that locking down devices is fruitless, because they will be hacked anyway. Now all we need to do is kick some carrier butt and we’re all set.