When Android Inc first started in 2003, Andy Rubin (founder of the small company) had a dream for a mobile phone operating system that was powerful, secure, efficient, and most importantly, open source. An open source program is one that is completely public and ready to be modified in any way that the user wants. When Google acquired Android Inc in 2005, they promised to keep Rubins dream alive. Up until recently, Google has done a great job doing just that. The problem is carriers like Verizon and AT&T locking the boot-loaders on their phones, making it impossible to change the operating system on their devices.
This may not seem like a big deal to the average consumer, but it makes enthusiasts like myself really have to fight to get what we were promised over ten years ago. Carriers locking their phones like this is one of those hidden frustrations that most people don't know about that drives me crazy. It makes me never want to use AT&T or Verizon as a mobile carrier anymore and switch to one that allows me to do what I want with the phone that I purchased. I don't blame Google for my misfortune. They have stayed true to their word and released their own line of phones and tablets called Nexus devices. These devices are completely unlocked and ready to be modified in any way, right out of the box.
Their isn't really anything that can be done to solve this issue as carriers want to maintain more and more control over how you use your phones. I guess enthusiasts like me will have to settle with Google's Nexus 6. Boo hoo.
This topic is a little out of my range of knowledge but it sounds interesting . Being a persistent iPhone user, knowing more about this would be cool.
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