Fact: Android puts manufacturers in control.
Some manufacturers, of course, choose to allow users to exercise some control over their devices. But "Android" is no guarantee of this.
These devices are, today, de facto extensions of our senses and tongue. If the user, can not exercise effective control over such devices that is required to view, create, and disseminate mediated information, then the user is potentially subject to external control.
I agree that Android itself does not guarantee who control's the device. But not "some", but almost all manufacturers allow users to exercise a great deal of control over their devices.
if you can install someones software on your device without the permission of a third party, you are already much more in control than on any iOS device.
"As open as OS X, Windows 7 or Android" is already worth fighting for.
I like fiddling with my hardware and trying different OSs on it. I like being able to upgrade my OS as I see fit, and it's a shame that I can only do that on a very small selection of hardware.
Asus is treading into interesting waters here. What if the Transformer Prime was a laptop that shipped with Windows 8?
WebOS had no chance to succeed because the community it catered to chose the Google name and unfulfilled promises over actual freedom.
So it is indeed accurate to state that Android puts manufacturers in control.
And in the case of phones, the carriers are also in control. Unlike the iPhone and Windows Phones, carriers can and do load up Android phones with un-uninstallable and battery-sucking junkware.
There's a reason Google continues to promote the unlocked route for the Nexus line of phones. Buying a heavily subsidized phone from a carrier is a model where all the incentives point the wrong way.
"Putting" the manufacturers in control (otherwise known as failing to limit the control they already have) means putting the market in control.
Could it not be argued this is anti-competitive?
Instead I went out last night and bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. https://twitter.com/#!/marshray/status/154039917322838017
The bootloader isn't locked, but the 'Heimdall' flash backup/restore tool doesn't work with it. (yet :-)
(As far as I know, all of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Tab 7 Plus devices are sold unlocked, for now.)
Sounds like locking the boot rom is good for ASUS' competitors based on the comments there and here.
I don't like what Asus did either, since this is supposed to be an open source product, but I'm willing to bet that Asus already believes that:
a. They're the #3 tablet behind the iPad and Kindle Fire in terms of sales and they may be fine with that as long as they're the primary Android-based alternative.
b. They're the only successful pure Android tablet maker whose design aesthetics rivals the iPad.
This is just conjecture, but I feel like those two groups (people who flash custom ROMs versus people who call customer support) are fairly opposite...
Regarding the bootloader, the reason we chose to lock it is due to content providers' requirement for DRM client devices to be as secure as possible. ASUS supports Google DRM in order to provide users with a high quality video rental experience. Also, based on our experience, users who choose to root their devices risk breaking the system completely. However, we know there is demand in the modding community to have an unlocked bootloader. Therefore, ASUS is developing an unlock tool for that community. Please do note that if you choose to unlock your device, the ASUS warranty will be void, and Google video rental will also be unavailable because the device will be no longer protected by security mechanism.
It's shit like this combined with a distinct lack of upgrades from the Android manufacturers that keep me using an iPad or (far more open) laptop for my computing needs... for tablet computing, Apple will always have an advantage if things like CM9 aren't allowed, since Apple builds both iOS and the hardware.
> BOOTLOADER: they won't unlock the bootloader, and the purpose of locked bootloader is to support media renting service (due to DRM restrictions, and many entertainment industries requested it) on the device and its stability. BUT, they are working on releasing a bootloader unlocking tool for those users who would like to unlock it. however, the use of this unlocker tool will void the warranty immediately.
Perhaps someone with Mandarin could visit the page and verify the statement? If that's the case, it's a perfectly reasonable response.
[1] https://www.facebook.com/asus.n.america/posts/27125844960098... [2] https://www.facebook.com/asusclub.tw?sk=wall
http://www.bgr.com/2012/01/03/asus-confirms-intent-to-releas...
