14 DAY TRIAL // You have an Android smartphone and would like to build your own kernel for it, but you don't know how? Sony Ericsson has got you covered. In a recent blog post, the company explains to all how a custom kernel can be built, and also how one can easily flash it on the mobile phone.
The article is aimed mainly at those enthusiasts who own one of the company's Xperia devices, and follows the availability of a unlock bootloader site they put up for those who would like to make the move.
The availability of this site should provide a certain level of safety when it comes to unlocking the bootloader on a mobile phone, though certain risks are also involved.
“Before moving on, we’d like to remind you again that there is no turning back when unlocking the boot loader. You may void the warranty of the phone, and you will not be able to revert the phone to a locked or original state if you unlock it,” Sony Ericsson notes in the said blog post.
As stated above, the company offers some info on how to build a Linux kernel, on which the Android mobile operating system is based.
In order to make changes to the device and to the software running on it, one would have to rebuild the kernel, though this is not something recommended, especially for novice users.
The first step users would have to take towards flashing a handset would be the unlocking of the bootloader, an action through which sensitive data is removed (DRM certificates) and the user partition of the file system is wiped out.
“But all other functionality, such as the camera and other drivers, is left intact. Please note that content, like music files, that require the DRM certificate will not be accessible any more,” Sony Ericsson continues.
“But most importantly, you may void the warranty of your phone if you decide to unlock it. Aside from the considerations mentioned above, the functionality is there, just waiting for you to take advantage of it.”
Building a kernel is not a simple process. In the said post, Sony Ericsson gets users through some of the main steps it would involve. Moreover, the company also explains how one can flash the kernel onto the device.
Head over there to learn more on the matter, but keep in mind that, should you decide to unlock the bootloader on your device or flash it with a custom ROM, you would be doing that at your own risk.