Related
I've tried a demo unit in a retail store near me. (In singapore), but the shop didn't let me connect to wifi, let alone use the browser or download some apps for testing.
All i could do was add widgets and swipe through the home screens.
But with what I've read so far, these are some questions that are running through my mind.
1) With the SBK, will the device be 'locked down' like the international version of the milestone? Regrettably I got it not knowing the severe limitations of this. I could not flash anything custom.
2) How many devs have ordered this or are planning to order this? Will the pool of devs be large enough? Or will this device just fall by the way side. I have a feeling this is linked to point 1, and that devs too are mindful of the SBK, encrypted or not.
3) The price point justifies buying this product over the XOOM and Iconia, both of which are more expensive. But will ASUS return the favour of 'consumer confidence' by providing us with timely updates and bug fixes?
These are just some questions that are running through my mind now. The tablet/dock combo is reaching my shores next week. I'd be glad to help anyone check out stuff if the retailer allows me to.
Also, is there anything I should look out for when getting one from the retailer?
there's already been 2 patches in the short time it's been released, we have full root and custom recovery although no access to bootloader I believe.
There seems to be a dev interest.
How do we go about accessing the boot loader? Will it require processing power?
If so I can dedicate some processing power.
Will us not having boot loader be a potential problem to developers?
Does not having access to boot loader mean we cannot load custom unsigned roms? Or am i wrong here?
What are the implications?
Sorry for sounding stupid, but I'm trying to learn as I go, and to make the right decisions when looking for another android device. The milestone issue got me irked.
Apologies if this is already common knowledge?
It looks as though the B70 Transformers are coming with locked boot loaders, is that the case?
The never-ending battle.
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 - 10:21 am - Android, General, Transformer
Been a while since last post, but it appears ASUS’s counter move have finally come.
All signs point to that with the B70 revision of the Transformer, they have changed the Secure Boot Key.
At the same time they appear to have disabled downgrades in the more recent revisions of the firmware (the one B70 comes with!)
This means: At this point it’s not possible to root B70 revision ASUS Transformers. We will of course see what we can do to find a way around it, but keep in mind neither of us have access to a B70 revision model nor do we intend to spend the money needed to get one.
It was a good run, and congrats to all those with pre-B70 revision devices and bummer for everyone who bought newer revision devices hoping to root
Thanks,
RaYmAn & Bumble-Bee
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://androidroot.mobi/2011/08/02/the-never-ending-battle/
I'm not remarkably familiar with the different segments, but I'm rooted now (on a device from last month, so B6), but I still have my standard bootloader and recovery. Does this make a difference to rooting, or just to custom ROM's?
This means: At this point it’s not possible to root B70 revision ASUS Transformers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it applies to both? (But I'm no expert on these things).
I wonder if any new Asus software updates will also change the secure boot key and prevent other B revisions from being rooted once updated?
Makes me glad mine's B3. Just hope I dont have to return it at any point. Thanks for posting this info though. Interesting stuff.
I'm guessing suddenly lightbleed that nobody notices and creaking that you have to listen out for will all of a sudden be unimportant...
I'm not remarkably familiar with the different segments, but I'm rooted now (on a device from last month, so B6), but I still have my standard bootloader and recovery. Does this make a difference to rooting, or just to custom ROM's?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The secure boot key controls access to the tablet in NVFlash mode.
Without it basicallly you can't use NVFlash to update the Firmware on the tablet but it's possible that there might be other rooting methods that don't rely on NVFlash.
Instead these rely on exploiting bugs in the Android OS which can then be used to write data to areas of the tablet that shouldn't and so do things like install custom recovery modes that can then be used to load custom/insecure ROMs etc
(it's how the tablet was rooted before we gained access to the SBK)
I'm sure some bright spark will get it sorted anyways. These things don't remain unchallenged for long.
Now did we get the SBK last time? Someone had to have leaked it; I find it hard to believe it was brute-forced.
Ugh.... Why oh why are they doing this?? Don't they realize that one of their "pros" over Apple devices is becuase they lock them down so much - Why would they go and do that to their products now??? I thought I was finally moving towards freedom by getting away from Apple!!! <sigh>
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
jtrosky said:
Ugh.... Why oh why are they doing this?? Don't they realize that one of their "pros" over Apple devices is becuase they lock them down so much - Why would they go and do that to their products now??? I thought I was finally moving towards freedom by getting away from Apple!!! <sigh>
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the thing is wheather we like it or not ..they are their units and they will do what they want. Doesn't mean someone won't crack it like they always do. Just finding some that have been exchanged that have been rooted is enough to tick them off. Just reading here and finding out what s done with them is enough to tick them off. Look at what Motorola is doing. They made a statement that if you want to run a custom rom go somewhere else.
No they are OUR units and WE will do what WE want with them and if they do not like it then they can stick it where the sun does not shine.
There is no need for Asus to do this to the newcomers. It is just plain wrong.
Asus seems to go in the wrong way.
CrazyPeter said:
I'm guessing suddenly lightbleed that nobody notices and creaking that you have to listen out for will all of a sudden be unimportant...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROTFLMAO! Thanks Crazy......very astute!
Do they really think that locking the bootloader will ATTRACT more customers?? If anything, it can only hurt sales...
I can't imagine that a whole lot of transformers get returned rooted - most people who are willing to root them know better than that (I would think)... I just don't get the reasoning behind it. How does it benefit them?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I wonder what Asus will do with the Transformer 2.
Less of an upgrade itch at the moment.
I was thinking of buying Transformer near future (1-2 weeks), but now Im starting to wonder, is there anyway to see which revision tablet is before purchasing? Maybe serial number will tell it somehow?
I dont wanna buy locked tablet...
I'm guessing its just to hinder people from returning or RMA'ing units for light bleeds or creeking
Sent from Hogwarts
bytetemplar said:
I was thinking of buying Transformer near future (1-2 weeks), but now Im starting to wonder, is there anyway to see which revision tablet is before purchasing? Maybe serial number will tell it somehow?
I dont wanna buy locked tablet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The serial number is located on the back of the pkg. You will be able to see it before you purchase it.
Is there anyway to safely tell if this is the case? I recently got a B70 and was able to root mine. I just wnat to make sure that I am not affected by this, and if I am want does that mean?
bytetemplar said:
I was thinking of buying Transformer near future (1-2 weeks), but now Im starting to wonder, is there anyway to see which revision tablet is before purchasing? Maybe serial number will tell it somehow?
I dont wanna buy locked tablet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The serial will start with B70, so you will be able to tell. It's not like the B70 won't be cracked, anyways. There may be benefits to the later revision, as well.
As for Asus' thoughts on locking it down, they have a responsibility to shareholders to protect the IP(intellectual property) on the device. Buying a Transformer does not give you license to their IP. If shareholders feel they are not acting in accordance, they can basically sue Asus for shares/profit.
Personally, I wish the entire bootchain was open-source, but we knew it wasn't right from the beginning, so Asus is within it's rights.
Now, the good news. If we can buy enough stock in Asus, we can vote to open the IP base. If we reallllly buy alot, we might even win.
Once again, let me state, their decision sucks, but it's probably more for the shareholders than the company itself.
Unfortunately I got one of those tabs that won't OTA or unlock. I've contacted asus and told them that I can't receive OTAs, and I got the canned "flash the updates manually".:silly: This is an unacceptable solution because for one it's a PITA to update it that way, and I still won't be able to unlock the bootloader.
I have avoided mentioning the un-unlockable boatloader problem to the asus rep because I'm not sure it is covered under warranty. But the has me thinking: Could I argue that the device is being sold as unlockable and my device does not meet that spec and is therefore defective? If not, could I argue the same for the fact that it won't receive OTAs?
I am also wondering if the reason it won't function properly is because I got it as an exchange from Best Buy instead of buying it fresh. Has anyone gotten it the same way and not had the same issue?
I'm still within my 30 days, but I'm afraid if I exchange it I'll get another un-unlockable tablet.
I'd advise you to:
1) not argue that unlockability is a device 'feature', since pretty much all Android devices are sold locked, and since you purchased it in that state -- not even knowing if the unlocker will become become available or not -- signifies your accepance of the device even in a locked state;
2) press the fact that you canot receive OTAs and that workability suffers as a result. At least under European consumer law, ASUS would be responsible for selling a finished and workable product. The state in which the TF700 has shipped so far is suboptimal to say the least, and the fixes since have brought tangible improvements. Saying "oh, flash the updates manually yourself" in my mind is the same as a automobile manufacturer opting to NOT do a calllback of sold vehicles due to some ailment (faulty brake discs, or safety belts or something) but instead shipping the parts to their customers and saying "well, you can handle a pair of scissors and a screwdriver, right? Do it yourself then." -- I say, screw them. If this argument fails as wel, you have a support rep with only a few glands where the brain should be located (probably only a visual cortex to be able to type on a keyboard and find it way to the toilet). If that is the case, first drop Gary Key a line, since he has offered to intervene on a customer's behalf before. That might be a second line of rescue.
3) If all else fails, exchange nonetheless, the risk of receiving another essentially-faulty unit notwithstanding. If OTAs and the bootloader issue are a sign of ASUS not having your serial number in their database, you might get into trouble if in need of warranty later on. I'd prefer a few returns to issues down the way (even though I know the feeling of having to wait yet again, and having to run the setup again and so on, and so on), but hey, that's just me.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T
1. I guess I could say that because asus released the bootloader unlock, and it works on most of the tablets except for mine, that my tablet is not receiving the same services due to a technical glitch. Heck I could even say the same for the OTA updates.
Fear Not, I am avoiding this argument religiously. I don't even want to mention the "b word" to asus, it would complicate the issue more than it needs to be.
2. I am leaning hard on getting the OTA updater fixed. At the moment it's what I am most concerned about. ASUS telling me to flash the updates manually is less than acceptable. It's simply not convenient or practical for me to continue to flash them manually. The problem is that the problem is beyond the tech support people. Which is not surprising. The engineers are the only ones with the actual knowledge and they don't deal with customers. The tech support are merely handed a card with questions and responses. My only hope is to press the rep until they hand the matter off to someone more knowledgeable. The bootloader I guess is what is driving me to get the problem fixed.
My problem at the moment is trying to prove that the ota's are broken. The rep told me that the .26 update probably hasn't been released to my district yet and I should wait. I say BS, the .26 update has been out for long enough I should have gotten it. I even gave the bootloader unlocker a shot: network error. Yup, I would be gray long before the update to hit my device. Problem is I can't say that to the rep without mentioning the aforementioned "b word".
Fortunately, I read a thread here (I'm too lazy to look it up now) about a prime user who successfully RMAd for the same issue, and got it fixed.
rightonred said:
1. I guess I could say that because asus released the bootloader unlock, and it works on most of the tablets except for mine, that my tablet is not receiving the same services due to a technical glitch. Heck I could even say the same for the OTA updates.
Fear Not, I am avoiding this argument religiously. I don't even want to mention the "b word" to asus, it would complicate the issue more than it needs to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a plan to me.
2. I am leaning hard on getting the OTA updater fixed. At the moment it's what I am most concerned about. ASUS telling me to flash the updates manually is less than acceptable. It's simply not convenient or practical for me to continue to flash them manually. The problem is that the problem is beyond the tech support people. Which is not surprising. The engineers are the only ones with the actual knowledge and they don't deal with customers. The tech support are merely handed a card with questions and responses. My only hope is to press the rep until they hand the matter off to someone more knowledgeable. The bootloader I guess is what is driving me to get the problem fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, you're caught in a protocol. Not bad in itself, but when you;re experiencing soething that isn't covered by the protocol, you're pretty much screwed unless you can get through to their second line of defense.
My problem at the moment is trying to prove that the ota's are broken. The rep told me that the .26 update probably hasn't been released to my district yet and I should wait. I say BS, the .26 update has been out for long enough I should have gotten it. I even gave the bootloader unlocker a shot: network error. Yup, I would be gray long before the update to hit my device. Problem is I can't say that to the rep without mentioning the aforementioned "b word".
Fortunately, I read a thread here (I'm too lazy to look it up now) about a prime user who successfully RMAd for the same issue, and got it fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that you should have gotten the update by now as well. It seems to have been delivered worldwide, so there's no reason for you to be exempt from the bliss the rest of the owners are already experiencing. The bootloader not unlocking due to a network error is an argument believable for two or maybe three tries, but when it stubbornly keeps refusing to be unlocked, well, that is symptomatic of something else.
I did hear several reports of Prime users getting their units succesfully RMA'd, but also at least one user reporting that he received his unit in an locked state, from which he was no longer able to unlock. That might be a problem in your case...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T
Its a shame though, the tablet works perfectly other wise. The wifi and gps reception is excellent. no dead pixels, hot pixels, dark or light spots, dust under display, scratches, etc. The screen is bonded frimly to the back and is not loose. In fact I think it's one of the nicer tabs out there. It's just that the thing won't update (or unlock).
rightonred said:
Unfortunately I got one of those tabs that won't OTA or unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There must be a problem with some of these tablets and OTA updates. I received my Infinity a week ago with the. 21 firmware. No matter what I did it would not update OTA to 22. I did a manual update to. 22 which was very easy. A couple days later. 26 was available on their website. Again no OTA update and again I did it manually with no problem. My Infinity was neither rooted or unlocked at the time though I rooted after the. 26 update. I have read post on various forums with other owners with the same exact update issue while others did receive their updates OTA. I guess that shows that there are differences between this same model being it a software or hardware problem. Other than the OTA update issue my Infinity is working great. Much better than the 3 Primes that I owned.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
Eddie Hicks said:
There must be a problem with some of these tablets and OTA updates. I received my Infinity a week ago with the. 21 firmware. No matter what I did it would not update OTA to 22. I did a manual update to. 22 which was very easy. A couple days later. 26 was available on their website. Again no OTA update and again I did it manually with no problem. My Infinity was neither rooted or unlocked at the time though I rooted after the. 26 update. I have read post on various forums with other owners with the same exact update issue while others did receive their updates OTA. I guess that shows that there are differences between this same model being it a software or hardware problem. Other than the OTA update issue my Infinity is working great. Much better than the 3 Primes that I owned.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have a strong hunch that the issue is on ASUS' end, probably the serial numbers not being available in their database of shipped units, and therefore a) preventing OTA and b) preventing bootloader unlocking (since that's another instance of serial number checks against said database). Has any one of you run the unlock app already? I'd bet a beer on it it fails as well.
MartyHulskemper said:
We have a strong hunch that the issue is on ASUS' end, probably the serial numbers not being available in their database of shipped units, and therefore a) preventing OTA and b) preventing bootloader unlocking (since that's another instance of serial number checks against said database). Has any one of you run the unlock app already? I'd bet a beer on it it fails as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't loose that beer.
The I-can't-unlock-or-update club is picking up quite a few members. I'll have to remember to bring donuts and coffee to the next meeting.
Anyway, I've given up on tech support. If it's affecting a significant number of people, asus will find out about it and fix it. At the moment it's a pain, but I'm not too worried.
Probably like many others out there I don't wish to unlock the bootloader on my tablet just yet. The one and only reason I don't is because the warranty is still in effect. I've used CWM on several Androidl phones and love it.
Been unsuccessful flashing back to ICS (like everyone else on a locked pad), I got caught up in the OTA and have since lost root, I really regret it. No way to flash back at all. I wish there was some way to "fool" the tab to see a zip file as JB update but really flash back an earlier ICS one.
Not being a programmer or developer, the whole reasoning of why I cant flash back confuses me. I mean if I were to think a bit I could reflash the pad with the same zip file version that the OTA gave me (back on ICS)...just like I did when I first rooted it). Right? So something in the zip tells JB not to go to a previous version. Although in the past I could jump up or down in an ICS version (I assume).
So the question remains. All posts point me to the fact that I'd need a custom recovery to do anything to downgrade and restore root, and although Voodoo does run to restore root on JB and it says it did, it really doesn't. But to do it right and go back to ICS, I'd basically have to violate warranty.
Are there plans in the works or is a working JB root being actively attacked for a locked bootloader running Jelly Bean? It would be relieving to know if anyone out there is pursuing such a task or if it's dead in the water.
All positive comments invited. Please hold back anything referring to why don't I just unlock. The reasons are pretty clear and I'm sure I'm not the only one. My extended goes for 2 years. Covers everything. Unless I unlock. Then it's just money wasted. And once I unlock, "the fuse is blown" so to speak, with no way to re lock it.
I completely agree.
I was previously rooted b4 jelly bean. I am also unwilling to unlock due to warranty. Due to my current employment in the military, my tablet always has a chance of breaking due to the environment of the navy and i would prefer to maintain a warranty in case this were to happen. If anyone heres of a timeline of when a possible locked root can be accessed i would love to hear any further information.
Prefect response USS. I got caught up in the hype awhile ago and purchased an ATV. If I had known that the 3rd gen model was having difficulty being jailbroken, I would have waited. It's cool. But now that I realize the months it's taken for the guru's to develop and fail on a jailbreak for it and getting stung with the Jelly Bean update from ASUS, I'm very happy I haven't accepted any software updates for it (AppleTV). For fear that 1) a jailbreak won't work on the latest sw version when and if one is released and 2) a new sw version installed on it will put me in the same boat (no pun intended) ASUS has me in with Jelly Bean (cant root it, cant go back to a previous stable flash at all). For a hundred bucks either way, it is a cool and cheap gadget. But a 2nd gen model can have so many features modded into it. Rooting my 300 on Jelly Bean would make me feel more as if I had control of what I bought and how I could use on it. Seems like ASUS' Android open source code has been closed up for us unlike the many flavors of Linux out there that you can download for free and install as you like on any pc.
So, it's a Google issue? Asus' reply here
Adding to the info list:
After emailing ASUS airing my concerns of not being able to downgrade without voiding my warranty which boils down to an unlock, the reply points me to "It's a Google thing". For developers who read this, it would be cool to get a brief or in depth reasoning as to why the JB update can manipulate the bootloader to update the OS, yet an ICS binary cannot be used to flash to that version. I hope this makes sense.
ASUS' Reply:
Thank you for contacting us in regards to the firmware update and I do apologize for your inconvenience. Unfortunately there will be no option to revert back to the previous firmware after the update. (It's just the way of the design by the software vendor 'Google'). I would suggest backing up your personal data and perform a factory reset if you are experiencing problems after the firmware update. Please do let me know if the problem still persists.
In my profession working around PLC's and EPROM's, System BIOS, etc, I have programming fixtures and cables to do what I need to. PLC's are sometimes passworded and the vendor is reluctant to give it out. So a swap out is sometimes necessary even though I may have a binary or programming software to make the change I need. Erasing memory sometimes requires a UV eraser or interface to erase before loading a new binary. This never hinders programming unless a "fuse" in the chip has been previously blown to prevent reads or writes of the code..
So how does a new firmware circumvent a locked bootloader to flash it? And what would prevent fastboot or ADB from sending a binary fine to the system? Is this a good and clear question? Linux/Android being an open source (for the most part) OS, it seems like what just happened to me in the JB update falls into a gray area of the code.
ASUS is partially correct in that Googles bootloader for Jellybean is very different than Ice Cream Sandwich. Ive had this issue across all devices I own, however, the locked bootloader is the real issue, and this is an ASUS design. If the boot loader was unlocked, it would be possible to downgrade, hence why those with an unlocked bootloader can regress. ASUS gave us the ability to unlock the boot loader at the expense of the warranty, which is more than many of the companies do, however, putting it on google as it being their problem is a bit of an overstatement. You CAN go back, you just have to unlock....bogus, but ASUS does NOT want to warranty devices that have been regressed for obvious reasons...
Like many of you who have updated to the 9.4.5.30 firmware, I was extremely disappointed to learn that we will not be able to use NVFlash. It appears that for whatever reason ASUS has decided to add some type of 'prevention code' to the 9.4.5.30 bootloader to prevent users from flashing the modified AndroidRoot.Mobi bootloader.
This is very unfortunate since as we all know, NVFlash is a powerful tool that allows all of those users with unlocked bootloaders to flash ROMs and not have to worry about the potential for bricking our devices. Thus, as things currently stand a large pool of current users as well as most future users will be excluded from using NVFlash. I would argue that it is probably in the interest of ASUS to undo whatever changes were made to the 9.4.5.30 bootloader, which would make it possible for us to once again flash the AndroidRoot.Mobi bootloader. The changes incorporated in 9.4.5.30 increase the likelihood that their customer service will have to deal with bricked units. Those of us who have owned the TF201 for example know of instances where bricked units get serviced under the warranty. This eats into their profits…
The purpose of this thread is to try and get ASUS's attention and alert them to the fact that there is a desire among the XDA TF700 community to use NVFlash and that the changes in 9.4.5.30 prevent this. However, the purpose of this thread is not to receive condescending lectures about the risks of unlocking - we are all aware . I would urge anyone who is also concerned about this to post in this thread. ASUS certainly seems to pay some sort of attention to XDA. Also, for those of us in the US we should also e-mail Tien about this issue. His user name is Asus_USA and his e-mail address is [email protected].
Thanks for taking the time to read this
Completely agree. NVFlash for all.
paddycr said:
Like many of you who have updated to the 9.4.5.30 firmware, I was extremely disappointed to learn that we will not be able to use NVFlash. It appears that for whatever reason ASUS has decided to add some type of 'prevention code' to the 9.4.5.30 bootloader to prevent users from flashing the modified AndroidRoot.Mobi bootloader.
This is very unfortunate since as we all know, NVFlash is a powerful tool that allows all of those users with unlocked bootloaders to flash ROMs and not have to worry about the potential for bricking our devices. Thus, as things currently stand a large pool of current users as well as most future users will be excluded from using NVFlash. I would argue that it is probably in the interest of ASUS to undo whatever changes were made to the 9.4.5.30 bootloader, which would make it possible for us to once again flash the AndroidRoot.Mobi bootloader. The changes incorporated in 9.4.5.30 increase the likelihood that their customer service will have to deal with bricked units. Those of us who have owned the TF201 for example know of instances where bricked units get serviced under the warranty. This eats into their profits…
The purpose of this thread is to try and get ASUS's attention and alert them to the fact that there is a desire among the XDA TF700 community to use NVFlash and that the changes in 9.4.5.30 prevent this. However, the purpose of this thread is not to receive condescending lectures about the risks of unlocking - we are all aware . I would urge anyone who is also concerned about this to post in this thread. ASUS certainly seems to pay some sort of attention to XDA. Also, for those of us in the US we should also e-mail Tien about this issue. His user name is Asus_USA and his e-mail address is [email protected].
Thanks for taking the time to read this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
+1
There should be no lockdown code in the bootloader for "unlocked" devices.
I agree, they're surprisingly draconian about what "unlocked" means. We're not even covered under their warranty, might as well give us full access to our devices smh
Not to be the devil's advocate, but judging by some of what I read here, like folks asking some questions that make one wonder, "Is this guy really gonna try to flash his brand new $500 tab like that?"
I mean, and said person then does an RMA after he bricks it. That type of warrantee churn was probably something Asus did not anticipate. I can see how they'd want to slow that trainwreck down for awhile.
Sure, we were all n00bs at some point, but the frenzy of folks to get to JB and the way they go about it is probably getting a lot of folks in Asus support working overtime, lol!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
i
urrlyx said:
+1
get
There should be no lockdown code in the bootloader for "unlocked" devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good: Yep. All or nothing. Don't void my warranty then partially cripple my ability to get my money's worth
Slammin said:
Not to be the devil's advocate, but judging by some of what I read here, like folks asking some questions that make one wonder, "Is this guy really gonna try to flash his brand new $500 tab like that?"
I mean, and said person then does an RMA after he bricks it. That type of warrantee churn was probably something Asus did not anticipate. I can see how they'd want to slow that trainwreck down for awhile.
Sure, we were all n00bs at some point, but the frenzy of folks to get to JB and the way they go about it is probably getting a lot of folks in Asus support working overtime, lol!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course nv flash would have saved all of those bricks from going back to asus.
they should be providing this tool rather then locking it down.
Hearing that the .30 bootloader is signed and won't allow flashing of unsigned bootloaders (downgrades included, since they are not signed) made me incredibly angry with ASUS. It's the wrong way to attack the problem. Even then, it's still possible to flash Jelly Bean to a TF700 in (IMHO) the most crazy of ways, by flashing the TF300 JB ROM. Even on locked devices!
There is this nvflash tool that makes it possible to recover from any brick known to man, and they just don't seem to want us to have access to it. I have unlocked my tablet to do exactly what I want with it, but even after I've voided my warranty, ASUS won't let me do it. Custom ROMs have a higher tendency to brick a device than a stock ROM, and people who've unlocked their devices should be tech-savvy enough to follow a tutorial to nvflash it back from the dead. Instead, ASUS wants them to enjoy their new shiny $500 paper weight/door stop.
ASUS, this was a **** move. The least you could do would be to provide a possibility to downgrade the bootloader (ie. a signed blob of an unsigned bootloader, for example the 9.4.5.26 one). Even better, you could actually unlock unlocked devices, or just give us nvflash for real.
The only reason that I can come up with is that Asus would want us send them the brick and charge us to un-brick it, which as has been stated is really not a good way to treat customers...
So let's see, give us a tool to unlock, which voids the warranty, and then make it impossible for us to recover from said brick... Hmm, sure sounds like a sure-fire way to make extra money!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
jtrosky said:
The only reason that I can come up with is that Asus would want us send them the brick and charge us to un-brick it, which as has been stated is really not a good way to treat customers...
So let's see, give us a tool to unlock, which voids the warranty, and then make it impossible for us to recover from said brick... Hmm, sure sounds like a sure-fire way to make extra money!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
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+1 on this, i also think that Asus will never provide a NvFlash tool for the tf700t,they have no interest to do it because they will loose repairs money. The previous Transformer devices got the same treatment so i don't see Asus acting different with the Infinity.
That's one of the great things about my old TF101 - it's NVFlash capable, so I can *always* recover from a bad flash or whatever. It's also a *very* "clean" way of installing a ROM - this way you absolutely know for a fact that you have a complete overwrite - no chance of something from a previous flash being "left over".
It's such a nice tool (NVFlash) - I *really* wish that it was available natively for the TF700... Lucky for me, I never updated to .30, so I can use NVFlash tool for the TF700 as well, but there are so many others that did update to .30 and they are now stuck. Very unfortunate...
By the way, what is the difference between native NVFlash and the "wheelie" version? I don't have any experience with the "non-native" (if that's a correct way of saying it) version of NvFlash/wheelie? If I recall correctly, it uses some "trickery" in order to use NVFlash - is that correct?
Thanks!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
jtrosky said:
That's one of the great things about my old TF101 - it's NVFlash capable, so I can *always* recover from a bad flash or whatever. It's also a *very* "clean" way of installing a ROM - this way you absolutely know for a fact that you have a complete overwrite - no chance of something from a previous flash being "left over".
It's such a nice tool (NVFlash) - I *really* wish that it was available natively for the TF700... Lucky for me, I never updated to .30, so I can use NVFlash tool for the TF700 as well, but there are so many others that did update to .30 and they are now stuck. Very unfortunate...
By the way, what is the difference between native NVFlash and the "wheelie" version? I don't have any experience with the "non-native" (if that's a correct way of saying it) version of NvFlash/wheelie? If I recall correctly, it uses some "trickery" in order to use NVFlash - is that correct?
Thanks!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
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Not sure if i understood what you meant with the "wheelie" version but afaik wheelie is used just for "bootstrap" (basically is used to bypass the lock that Asus used in order to prevent us from using NvFlash) in NvFlash mode, after that you will use "native" nvflash commands (wich are different based on the device u are using) , basically what Asus should provide to us from the start.
I'm probably not using the right terms... Using the TF101 as an example, the early TF101s (SBK V1) were able to use NVFlash directly, with no restrictions. Then, Asus being Asus, they modified the SBK (Secure Boot Key?) in the newer TF101's and NVFlash would no longer work on these SBK V2 devices. That's when one of the awesome developers released Wheelie - it allowed NVFlash to be used on the newer SKB V2 TF101's.
So, I think you already answered my question!
If I understand you correctly, Wheelie is just used to get around the SBK at which point NVFlash can be used normally?
Thanks!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
I could be wrong but i think that on the first tf101 batch nvflash was not ready "out of the box" but was possible only after the SBK leak. And that explain why Asus used SBK v2 on the next tf101 batch... Basically they never provided full APX/NvFlash access and i guess they never will.
jtrosky said:
The only reason that I can come up with is that Asus would want us send them the brick and charge us to un-brick it, which as has been stated is really not a good way to treat customers...
So let's see, give us a tool to unlock, which voids the warranty, and then make it impossible for us to recover from said brick... Hmm, sure sounds like a sure-fire way to make extra money!
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Pretoriano80 said:
+1 on this, i also think that Asus will never provide a NvFlash tool for the tf700t,they have no interest to do it because they will loose repairs money. The previous Transformer devices got the same treatment so i don't see Asus acting different with the Infinity.
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Lets face it, I think everyone was blindsided when .30 was released. Wasn't JB meant to be released next?? I am wondering whether the reason they have actually done this is to prevent flashing TF300 JB on the TF700. Has anyone on .30 actually been able to flash the TF300 firmware? I suspect that there were a few red faces when ASUS saw that the TF300 firmware could be flashed on locked TF700s. Also, that flashing this firmware caused TF700s to be stuck with the TF300 JB bootloader. .30 did repair the damaged TF700 bootloaders but has had the knock-on effect of not allowing us to not use NVFlash. This is not cool...
Hit the "Newsworthy Thread" thing at the top! Lets see if we can get the XDA news people to take a bit of interest in this and cause ASUS a little bit of shame This thread from the Prime forum seemed to get some attention from Tien once XDA made it public (see post 200): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1764917&page=20
paddycr said:
Like many of you who have updated to the 9.4.5.30 firmware, I was extremely disappointed to learn that we will not be able to use NVFlash. It appears that for whatever reason ASUS has decided to add some type of 'prevention code' to the 9.4.5.30 bootloader to prevent users from flashing the modified AndroidRoot.Mobi bootloader.
This is very unfortunate since as we all know, NVFlash is a powerful tool that allows all of those users with unlocked bootloaders to flash ROMs and not have to worry about the potential for bricking our devices. Thus, as things currently stand a large pool of current users as well as most future users will be excluded from using NVFlash. I would argue that it is probably in the interest of ASUS to undo whatever changes were made to the 9.4.5.30 bootloader, which would make it possible for us to once again flash the AndroidRoot.Mobi bootloader. The changes incorporated in 9.4.5.30 increase the likelihood that their customer service will have to deal with bricked units. Those of us who have owned the TF201 for example know of instances where bricked units get serviced under the warranty. This eats into their profits…
The purpose of this thread is to try and get ASUS's attention and alert them to the fact that there is a desire among the XDA TF700 community to use NVFlash and that the changes in 9.4.5.30 prevent this. However, the purpose of this thread is not to receive condescending lectures about the risks of unlocking - we are all aware . I would urge anyone who is also concerned about this to post in this thread. ASUS certainly seems to pay some sort of attention to XDA. Also, for those of us in the US we should also e-mail Tien about this issue. His user name is Asus_USA and his e-mail address is [email protected].
Thanks for taking the time to read this
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+1
one more here.
Another here I was Awesomely Pleased when i have to Unbrick my Prime, but now that NVFlash is out on the Infinity I can't use it? Aww ASUS you Disappoint me..
This is a lost cause as they promised to be looking in to an official nvflash release for the transformer prime but as you can see it never came. The only access we had is when wheelie was released. This is why I cant support them with the way they are treating customers that are buying their tablets. At least with samsung products I have odin. You are just SOL with the asus now. As someone stated above, its like all they want to do is line their pockets. All they are doing is driving the customers away.
Also when yiu unlock your transformer tablet they delete the DRM Keys. Meaning any program relying on it like hulu or play movies will not work (netflix works I think).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app