Sony isn’t particularly known to be an open or collaborative company but in the past few years, that trend has started to shift. PlayStation 4 is a prime example where Sony went to developers and asked for their ideas on what a next generation console could be. A few years later and we have the PS4 cranking out blockbuster numbers with Sony expecting to sell 16 million units in FY2015. Now Sony Mobile might be looking to take a page out of the PlayStation playbook by opening up their Android smartphones.

Till now, installing another OS like CyanogenMod and other operating systems on Sony’s Android smartphones was impossible. That’s because Sony didn’t allow you to boot from a recovery partition. Now, Sony is slowly changing this policy and slowly releasing bootloaders that let you boot from that recovery space which in turn means you can install other operating systems on their phones. In addition to CyanogenMod, this opens the door to Firefox OS and Ubuntu Touch. Before you get too excited, not all Sony smartphones support this. Currently Sony has released a bootloader for the

•  Xperia E3
• Xperia M2
• Xperia T2 Ultra
• Xperia T3

If you’re noticing a trend, that’s because those phones are mainly introductory to mid-range models which are quite popular in developing nations and where 3rd party OS installing is most popular. So if you’re hoping to install something different on the Xperia Z3, it’s likely not in the cards or at least not yet. Still, it’s an encouraging sign that Sony is embracing this movement which frankly only brings more value to their phones.

Discuss:

Do third party operating systems interest you?