While many of us are looking forward to Windows Phone 8 in one way or another, the lack of custom ROMs will be sure to make a few people hesitant about the platform. Custom ROMs are a large part of the Android developer community and have also been seen in a more limited state on Windows Phone 7; this will become seemingly impossible on Windows Phone 8.
SafeBoot Feature will make it difficult for anyone to load malware or additional components that lack the correct digital signatures to be loaded by the operating system. Each device will have a number of unique key burning into a chip, along with more common keys from Microsoft and the OEM. When the device is powered up, the UEFI will ensure that only elements with the correct digital signatures will be loaded.
While this will undoubtedly make the platform secure and prime for the enterprise sector, the more adventurous will be disappointed. SafeBoot Feature means that custom ROMs will be near impossible to curate due to the lack of access to the correct digital signatures.
Windows Phone 8 will also have phone-wide encryption and applications will be restricted in their access to the device registry to enhance their security ability further.
KitGuru says: While it may annoy some, it is for the for the greater good. The enterprise sector could be critical to Windows Phone in future.