Story so far. The bootloader on the Asus Prime is locked. This prevents developers doing a lot of fun developer things like custom ROMs. The Prime is a SIM free device too, so there’s no networks asking Asus to stop network unlocking. The guys at xda-developers have started a campaign and, by the looks of it, Asus are preparing to change their stance…
Links – Earlier story – Facebook
Credit – Terran Brown
Pinged Lee this – http://bit.ly/ssnggO – Looks like the offical line which needs to be put out by the regions…
From Facebook:
“Elrex Yeoh: ASUS Taiwan just released an official statement, which covers some aspects we would really love to know:
1) ICS will be pushed to devices around the world on Jan 12th (woot!)
2) GPS problem is mainly due to the aluminium backplate on the device. they won’t be able to do much about it, that’s why they removed the GPS from the specs on various sites to avoid causing any misunderstandings among users.
3) BOOTLOADER: they won’t unlock the bootloader, and the purpose of locked bootloader is to support media renting service on the device and its stability. BUT, they are working on releasing a bootloader unlocking tool for those users who would like to unlock it. however, the use of this unlocker tool wil void the warranty immediately.
source: https://www.facebook.com/asusclub.tw
ASUS
Thank you very much for all of the support you have given to ASUS. Eee Pad Transformer Prime received excellent reviews and great demand when it launched in December 2011. Now, we are continuing to make the Transformer Prime available in the worldwide market, and doing our best to fulfill the incredible demand. ASUS strives to create the best products and provide the best service for our customers, and will be releasing an FOTA update for the Transformer Prime shortly. This update, version 8.8.3.33, will improve the focus of the camera, the fluidity of the touch experience, and the APK capabilities in Android Market.ASUS has been working hard to make the highly anticipated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich available on the Transformer Prime, and today, we have good news for you. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich FOTA worldwide update for the Transformer Prime will start from Jan 12th, 2012. Thank you for your patience and support through this process. In addition, we would like to address your concerns related to GPS and bootloader on the Transformer Prime.The ASUS Transformer Prime is made from a metallic unibody design, so the material may affect the performance of the GPS when receiving signals from satellites. Please note that this product is not a professional GPS device, and signal performance can be easily influenced by factors including, but not limited to: weather, buildings, and surrounding environments. Please understand there are limitations when using the GPS function. To avoid inconveniencing users who demand a powerful GPS device, we made the decision to remove it from our specification sheet and marketing communications. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.Regarding the bootloader, the reason we chose to lock it is due to content providers’ requirement for DRM client devices to be as secure as possible. ASUS supports Google DRM in order to provide users with a high quality video rental experience. Also, based on our experience, users who choose to root their devices risk breaking the system completely. However, we know there is demand in the modding community to have an unlocked bootloader. Therefore, ASUS is developing an unlock tool for that community. Please do note that if you choose to unlock your device, the ASUS warranty will be void, and Google video rental will also be unavailable because the device will be no longer protected by security mechanism.Thank you for all the understanding and support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Happy New Year!
http://www.facebook.com/ASUS
My Take….
( from the other thread ) Big sigh. Understand the DRM bit ( read Hollywood messing with standards and causing problems – ie HDMI, take down notices, sopa and now by the looks of it any future tegra device – way to stunt innovation and drive piracy up … I digress ) but the unlocker from Asus is a welcome move and pretty much I think will be accepted by most. The GPS…. mmmmmm if that is true ( and it sounds it ) I’m going to have to think again if there is not a redesign to offer plastic backs ( which should make the unit a bit cheaper ). There must be some kind of affect on wifi although its not telling now does explain early reports. We will see how we get on…..