“Chip on Phone Overwrites User-Preferred Software — Re-installs
Original Firmware.“Yesterday, some T-Mobile stores began selling its newest mobile
device, the G2, an Android-based smart phone originally slated for
an October 6 release while AT&T is slated to release it later
in the year. This device truly is representative of the next
generation of mobile devices. The hardware capabilities surpass the
abilities of most available netbook computers, including the
ability to play High Definition video seamlessly. Unfortunately,
the G2 also comes with built-in hardware that restricts what
software a device owner might wish to install.“Specifically, one of the microchips embedded into the G2
prevents device owners from making permanent changes that allow
custom modifications to the the Android operating system. This is
the same Android that purposefully opened up its source code under
the Apache License, allowing anyone to use, modify, and
redistribute the operating system code even if they choose not to
contribute back to the development community.”