T-Mobile G-Slate Android 3.1 update locks bootloader

While users are usually more than excited when it comes to getting new updates for their mobile devices, it looks like T-Mobile G-Slate customers might not fall into that camp this time around. Despite the many improvements that the latest Android 3.1 update brings to the tablet, it has one new feature that not many users will appreciate – a locked bootloader. While the update introduces Google Videos, Homescreen resizable widgets, USB accessory support and more it removes the user’s ability to customize their tablet into anyway they want.

In case you were wondering, the bootloader is the code that is run before the firmware (in this case the Android operating system) when the device is turned on. Previously when it was unlocked, users could make the tablet run custom ROMs and tweak settings on the tablet that they normally don’t have permission to. Introducing a locked bootloader means that users won’t have the freedom to do that anymore – at least until someone figures out a way to unlock it.

How many of you will be willing to give up total control of the tablet for the new Honeycomb features?

George Wong
Categories: Tablets
Tags: Android, android 3.1, Bootloader, g-slate, honeycomb, LG, T-Mobile, Update