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HTC gives timeline for unlocking bootloaders

Software updates to unlock bootloaders are scheduled to roll out for the HTC Sensation next month, followed by the HTC Sensation 4G and the HTV Evo 3D.

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Jennifer Guevin is managing editor at CNET, overseeing the ever-helpful How To section, special packages, and front-page programming. As a writer, she gravitates toward science, quirky geek culture stories, robots, and food. In real life, she mostly just gravitates toward food.
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Jennifer Guevin

HTC Sensation 4G (T-Mobile)
HTC Sensation 4G Sarah Tew/CNET

HTC shared some good news for a relatively small but enthusiastic group of its customers tonight, announcing a general time frame for unlocking bootloaders on some of its phones.

Unlocking a phone in this manner allows more-advanced users far more customization than is possible with a typical phone. And while the number of people who are interested in tinkering with their phones to this degree may be small, that group is a passionate--and vocal--one.

The company plans to release software updates to support bootloader unlocking for the HTC Sensation in August, followed by the HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile USA and the HTC Evo 3D on Sprint (no timing was given for those two models). It indicated the feature might be coming to more devices down the road.

"We're in the testing phase for the unlocking capability now, and we expect it to be fully operational by early September for devices that have received the software updates," the company said on its Facebook page. "We'll continue rolling out the unlocking capability over time to other devices as part of maintenance releases and new shipments."

HTC announced that it was reconsidering its policy on bootloaders in May but didn't give any definitive details at the time.

(Via Engadget)