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For many, a phone is a black box filled with apps, connectivity, and no small part of modern tech magic. But for the technically inclined (like enthusiasts and developers), the intricate operations that keep us knee-deep in apps and services are well understood, and access to specifics like kernel sources and factory images helps tremendously when it comes to rooting, ROMing, and device-targeted development. So it's a good thing Razer pushed out both factory images and kernel sources for its most recent flagship, the Razer Phone 2.
Even though Motorola usually doesn't push software updates in a timely manner, it doesn't take long for the company to release the accompanying kernel source code. The Moto G6 and E5 family was officially announced earlier this month, and even though the phones aren't widely available yet, Motorola has released the kernel source for one model - the G6 Play.
HMD Global, the exclusive manufacturer of Nokia-branded phones, has done a pretty good job of keeping their devices up-to-date. Late last month, for instance, the company opened up the Android 8.1 beta for the Nokia 8. But this doesn't change the fact that it's been 136 days since HMD's Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas, tweeted that the kernel source code for the Nokia 8 would be shared with the open-source community — and it still hasn't happened.
Xiaomi's mixed record for releasing kernel sources continues, as the company has still not posted sources for the Mi A1. While Xiaomi has previously stated their internal goal for releasing kernels is "within three months," according to XDA-Developers, the Mi A1 is well past this mark, as it was released last September. With the apparent end of the Nexus device program, the Mi A1 would be a prime candidate for custom ROM development, in place of the 2+ year old Nexus 5X.
The lifecycle of device modification usually goes a little like this: a phone gets released with an unlockable bootloader -> that phone's kernel source gets released -> the same phone then gets increased developer attention resulting in custom kernels and ROMs. Today the Razer Phone has hit that intermediate milestone, and the source code for its kernel has been released to the public as per the terms of the GPL.
Essential, the tech startup by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, released its first phone back in August. There has been exactly zero ROM development for the PH-1, but part of that is because Essential had yet to release the phone's kernel source code. Just over a month since it started shipping to customers, the PH-1's kernel source is now available to download.
It's always nice to see companies respect the GPL, which requires OEMs to release the kernel source code for phones they create. HTC is usually pretty good about releasing source code for new devices in a timely manner, and to that end, the company has uploaded the U11's kernel code to its website.
Last year, Motorola skipped on updating the Moto X line of devices, in favor of introducing the Moto Z. The device's main selling point was 'Moto Mods,' modules the user can hotswap to add functionality. Unfortunately, the expensive cost of both the device and the Moto Mods, as well as the lack of a headphone jack and short battery life, led it to fall below expectations.
The (presumably) final preview release of Android 6.0 Marshmallow made its grand entrance last week, followed by the usual code drop to the Android Open Source Project on Friday. The changelogs have been generated, and we've got them available for the close examination they deserve.
Last week we heard a rumor that Android 3.2 could be rolling out to the Motorola XOOM "within days," and it looks like that claim may have been realized starting today. According to Droid-Life, the update is rolling out in small batches at the moment and, along with the nifty new zoom feature, brings the long-awaited support for SD Cards. Other than that, it appears that this is more of a maintenance update, as the other features of 3.2 don't really apply to the XOOM.
