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Motorola has announced the latest of their devices to earn its very own developer edition. This time it’s the Motorola Atrix HD for AT&T, which launched over the summer. The latest member of the carrier’s Atrix lineup — a series of phones that featured one AT&T’s first LTE devices — was not made eligible for Motorola’s standard bootloader unlock program. As is the case with Verizon’s Droid RAZR, users wishing to obtain a version of the Atrix HD open to software customization and other hacks will need to pay up front.
While pricing has not yet been revealed, don’t expect to pay much less than the $549.99 buyers must fork over for the Droid RAZR M Developer Edition. The unsubsidized versions of these popular Moto handsets feature all the same specs as the models sold in carrier stores, and likewise remain compatible with those networks. The decision comes down to how much value is placed in having an unlockable bootloader. For a handset like the Atrix HD, which has already been out for some months, it’s hard to imagine many users will flock to such a device.
Developer editions are a horrible idea I hope never catches on. Sell the phone, offer a *complete* bootloader unlock service, and if I mess up the phone then it’s my fault. If I root the phone and the buttons or screen stop working then that’s a hardware issue and you need to take responsibility for it. Why would we pay more for a phone without a warranty?!
This exactly. I hate the way the wireless industry works these days.
The length these guys go to bork the android experience and treat customers like they are stupid is maddening. “Hey guys remember that thing where you pay money for something and its yours to do with as you wish? Yea uhm NO. We’re gonna lock down your device and charge you an asston for the ability to do those things.Yes we are aware that the cheapest of the cheap android device from little podunk carriers can do it.”
“Verizon. Overcharging and boning Android customers since the days of the OG Droid”
I will admit tho absolutely NO carrier can compete with their coverage. You can be in a spider hole on friggin MARS and get reception.
Remove the word MOTOROLA & insert APPLE in this article. Hard to tell the difference, right?
If Woodside is being paid to insure that MOTO is to be borked to the point of irrelevance or oblivion, lokks like he’s well on his way to collecting a bonus for expediting the process.
I had to laugh
wait a sec here. is this carrier-tied like all other at&t phones? because this thing actually has the required bands for tmibile hspa+…. if this is carrier unlocked this would actually be a good option for those wanting to buy an off-contract phone for tmobile