It’s a joyous week for folks, as we have voiced our complaints about certain tactics used by big name technology companies and that they listened to the little guy. As you know, Verizon redacted their $2 convenience fee a few days after they announced it. Well Asus is following suit after folks voiced their complaints about a locked bootloader on the Transformer Prime. Today they released their official response to these complaints we told you about yesterday. You can hit the break to read the full press release but here is a bit of it:
“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.”
I can understand Asus’ view on having a locked bootloader, but I am certainly glad that Asus is giving us a way to tinker with the device. However, as with rooting any device, unlocking the bootloader voids your warranty and causes you to lose your ability to rent movies via the Google video rental service. I’m guessing that a few devs will rectify this quickly though. But the news doesn’t stop there folks! Asus also took a moment to tell us that Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming to the Prime on January 12th. This will give the Prime bragging rights as the first tablet to run an official version of ICS even with the possibility that the Xoom will be getting it soon and it was supposed to be the first tablet to run ICS as it is a Google Experience device.
So all in all this is good news for folks who have or will be receiving the Transformer Prime here in the near future. You’ll have to let us know what you think of an official release of ICS on a tablet because I know we’re all dying to know. Hopefully this update will address the bugs folks are complaining about as well. We asked you if the bugs the Prime backed was enough to make you change your mind on getting one, and today we will ask you this, is this an exciting enough of an announcement to make you want to run out and buy one?
ASUS Press Release via Facebook
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!