Europe: Pre-order new Motorola RAZR Developer Edition with unlocked bootloader

by Michaela Hebein

30.01.2012 15:53

Motorola announced today, it will sell the RAZR in a Developer Edition with unlocked bootloader. If you are EU-based, you can pre-order it already. US developers will have to wait a little longer.

Installing different Custom ROMs on a mobile device can be done out of sheer technological curiosity or ambition, but in most of the cases it is probably done by developers to tests their apps on different Android builds. Smart phone manufacturers such as Sony Ericsson, HTC and Motorola have realised the importance of offering that freedom to developers and created policies to supply them with devices with an unlocked bootloader.

Pre-order in EU

Today, Motorola has announced another step: EU-based developers can now pre-order the flagship phone Motorola RAZR with unlocked bootloader. Aside from that little detail, the Developer Edition will have the very same features as the Motorola RAZR. Motorola claims it is a solution "to continue meeting our carrier and regulatory obligations, but also meets the needs being expressed by our developer community." Carriers had voiced concerns about unlocked devices before.

Unlockable devices usually come without warranty, but manufacturers show some good-will in case of non-self-inflicted malfunctions.

Unlocking

After purchase, developers can consult the MOTODEV site for support info for unlocking, relocking and locating build files, as well as access to additional developer resources.

Motorola did not yet provide an expected shipping date for the EU Developer Edition.

USA

US developers will have to wait even a little longer, as Motorola has announced that an unlockable developer device in the United States will be introduced through MOTODEV, Motorola's global developer network, "in the coming months".