Originally published in 2009. Updated for context in 2025.
Back in the early days of Android, when rooting a phone felt like a tech badge of honor, I found myself stuck between patience and curiosity.
In November 2009, I upgraded both mine and my son’s phones from the classic HTC G1 to the new Motorola Cliq. At the time, it felt like a solid move. Motorola was trying to get back in the game, and the Cliq looked like a strong contender with its physical keyboard and solid build. The Droid was just hitting the scene, but the Cliq felt right.
What followed was a slow-motion tech letdown
Motorola promised an upgrade path, but by February 2010, the device was still sitting on Android 1.5, with a minor update that offered little more than a couple of feature tweaks. Meanwhile, the Android ecosystem was racing forward. Version 2.1 was out, and 2.2 was showing off all the bells and whistles that made Android feel like a real competitor to iOS.
Motorola kept kicking the can down the road. On June 30th, they posted on their own Owners Forum that they were taking “more time on the release to optimize the experience.” As August approached, there was still no official word.
That’s when I decided to take things into my own hands
I rooted my old HTC G1, loaded a custom ROM running Android 2.2, and for the most part, it worked well. Sure, it was a little buggy, and I knew the risks — bricked devices weren’t uncommon — but the experience was worth it. I was using modern features while my brand-new Cliq sat idle on my desk, waiting for an update that never really came.
At that moment, I made a decision: I would never buy another Motorola phone. And I never did.
Looking Back
This post originally appeared on my blog over a decade ago. I’m leaving it here as part of my tech journey — a reminder of where Android started, and how far we’ve come. It’s also one of the earliest moments where I realized how empowering (and dangerous) it could be to take control of your own devices.
If you’ve been around since those days, you know what I mean. And if not, welcome to the archive.