Suspected PayPal Hackers Seek Deal To Stay Out Of Prison
Did A Google Earth Mistake Cause A Couple's Brutal Murder?
Android modders beware: Droid X bricks itself if you try to modify it
Android fans love that their OS is much more freely modified than a relatively closed system like Apple's iOS, but the new Droid X is reportedly far from mod-friendly. Droid X has a self-destruct sequence built on a technology called eFuse, which disables the bootloader and bricks the phone if you try to tinker with it. The only way to get your Droid X working again after eFuse has been triggered is via a hardware fix from Motorola.So, what kind of modding triggers the eFuse? Messing with the bootloader itself, the firmware, or the Android kernel will all result in bricking. There's no way to delete the software, either, as it's apparently part of a chip that the Droid X needs to boot, and eFuse lets the chip reprogram itself (in this case, to stop your phone from booting). You can get more details from a post on the MyDroidWorld forums. What is going on, here? It doesn't make any sense that companies marketing an open phone would want to treat their customers this way.
[via MobileCrunch]
Update: Boy Genius Report says the bootloader is probably the same as the one on the Milestone, and that it "may not" or "probably won't" brick your phone. They do suspect, however, that it will be "difficult to crack."
Comments
9
Subscribe to commentsw9595Jul 15th 2010 2:20PM
Do you think it might be a little misleading showing a photo of an original Droid in a story about the Droid X?
E.J.Jul 15th 2010 2:26PM
Don't you think it's a lil nitpicky of you to criticize a Photoshop for a blog post?
Jay HathawayJul 15th 2010 2:29PM
You're right, W. I changed the image. It should update soon. Try refreshing the page.
Thanks for the defense, E.J. It was a quick fix, and makes the article clearer. No big deal.
w9595Jul 15th 2010 2:57PM
It's not about being nitpicky. It's about the integrity and reputation of the site. Are you going to trust an automotive website that shows an image of a Chevy S-10 in an article about a Camaro?
dirty dixieJul 15th 2010 2:26PM
This is going to prove more of an annoyance than anything else. If the Droid X is set to be able to accept OTA updates, the efuse chip has to be able to accept modifications (assuming that it looks for changes both in the bootloader and the kernel). OTA updates will potentially include kernel updates. It's just a matter of someone tracing how updates are passed by the efuse chip, and modifying either the update's details, or the chip itself.
AmarJul 15th 2010 2:28PM
http://www.droid-life.com/2010/07/15/enough-with-the-efuse-talk-already/
foghornJul 15th 2010 2:31PM
Please re-neg this uninformed post. The phone will not brick itself.
SilverWaveJul 15th 2010 7:26PM
>It's about the integrity and
reputation of the site
ah... ;-)
Jeff HesserJul 16th 2010 8:20AM
Why don't they just paint a big target on the phone and put up billboards begging someone to show them how futile their attempts at 'securing' this phone is!