HTC EVO 3D bootloader locked down, custom development still possible
Based on the number of tips that flooded my inbox this morning, I'd say that most of you already know this (my time zone in Hawaii puts me 6 hours behind the East Coast, so I've been sleeping while you've all been cursing HTC) but just in case you don't, Android Police has confirmed—presumably by examing the leaked RUU—that the HTC EVO 3D's bootloader, recovery, and kernel images are all cryptographically signed.
What does this mean for all of your hopes and dreams of getting your new phone rooted and loaded up with a custom ROM that hasn't been created yet?
Well, let's just say that you'll probably have to become intimately familiar with stock Gingerbread and Sense 3.0 for longer than you might want to. But you won't necessarily be stuck with them forever. And considering that many people are flashing custom ROMs on their EVO 4Gs to get Sense 3.0 and Gingerbread, the possibility of running a stock ROM for an extended period of time may not be the end of the world.
It will be much more difficult for devs and hackers to break through the bars, absolutely, but don't underestimate their collective powers. Other phones that were similarly locked down (e.g., Droid X, Droid 2) have been successfully rooted and flashed with custom ROMs; the methods may be more roundabout, but they're still getting the job done.
However, just because it's technically possible to crack the EVO 3D doesn't mean that there's a guarantee that it will be done. A lot will depend on who among the talented dev community decides to tackle this. It may take longer than we all want it to, but I believe it will still happen.
[Android Police | Phandroid] Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
