Sony releases a video showing how to unlock bootloader on Xperia phones

Many of the smartphone users do not know what a bootloader is or what it does but software developers know what magic it holds. By unlocking the bootloader of your device, you can root it and flash custom ROMs on it. Some manufacturers and carriers do not allow unlocking of the bootloader, while some like Sony are developer-friendly and allow it.

Earlier, when Sony was Sony Ericsson, it used to lock the bootloaders of their devices but now they want to encourage developers and make it easy to unlock them. Sony has recently uploaded a YouTube video on its developers channel that shows how to unlock the bootloader of your Xperia device and make it custom ROM-ready.

In the video, the process of unlocking the bootloader is shown on an Xperia Z2 phone and it is demonstrated on a Windows computer. The process is not simple for novices and Sony warns that it is not recommended and it may void the original warranty of the device and/or any warranty provided by the carrier. Also, if you get it wrong, the custom ROM may not work properly and some of the pre-loaded functions may fail to work. As such, you may brick your phone.

Unlocking the bootloader involves multiple steps that include getting the unlocking code from Sony, checking if device is unlockable, find your IMEI, IDID or the MEID number, installing the Android SDK from Google, installing Fastboot driver, running it and unlocking the bootloader.

Here’s the video:

 

Via XDA Developers

Sony releases a video showing how to unlock bootloader on Xperia phones

Connecting Sony PS3 DualShock controller to Xperia Z2 and other compatible Xperia devices

Mobile gaming has become quite popular as people are increasingly playing games on their smartphones and tablets. Last year, Sony had provided PlayStation 3 DualShock 3 support to Xperia smartphones and Xperia Tablets. The PlayStation 3 controller provides a much superior gaming experience.

There are many apps that enable Android phones to pair with DualShock 3 but they involve rooting the phone which is complicated. But now since Sony has integrated this functionality into its Xperia devices, it becomes easy as no rooting is required. Sony’s flagship Xperia Z2 and other Xperia devices such as Xperia Z, ZL, Z Ultra, Z1, and Tablet Z support the PS3 DualShock controller.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to connect the PS3 DualShock controller to Xperia Z2 and other compatible Xperia devices:

• Before beginning the process, you need to keep 2 things on hand- A USB OTG on-the-go adapter and the charging USB cable provided with the PS3 controller. The USB OTG cable is used to connect the controller to the Xperia Z2 and is not very expensive.


• On your Xperia Z2, open the ‘Settings’ menu and select ‘Xperia Connectivity’. In this, choose the option ‘DualShock 3 wireless controller’. When this menu is opened for the first time, you get a tutorial. If not, you can directly select ‘How to connect a controller’.


• Now, connect the charging USB cable to the PS3 controller and connect its other end to the USB OTG cable. Now plug the free end of the USB OTG cable into the Xperia Z2 smartphone. Once the connection is set up, the wizard takes you to the next step.


• Select ‘Next’. This will activate the Bluetooth in the Xperia Z2 and the smartphone will now communicate with the PS3 controller through Bluetooth.


• Click ‘Finish’, exit and disconnect the connecting cables.

You can now use the PS3 DualShock controller to play games in your Xperia Z2.

Android games supporting the PS3 controller:

All Android games are not supported by the PS3 controller. Some of the games that can be played are: Vice City, Dead Trigger, Zombie Gunship, Max Payne, Raiden Legacy, AirAttack HD etc.

You can check the games description to see if it is ‘Controller Supported’. If it is, then you can play it on your Sony Xperia Z2. The games can be downloaded from Google Play or Play Store Mobile.

Connecting Sony PS3 DualShock controller to Xperia Z2 and other compatible Xperia devices