T-Mobile has released its official response to the G2 "rootkit" controversy with a very short press release. It doesn't really say anything the development community hasn't already figured out -- the G2 was built in a way that provides a safety rollback in case the system gets corrupted. The response does state that it's a software issue, and the buck was passed along to HTC. You can read the mini-presser after the break, but one question I feel a need to ask -- if the "subset of highly technical users who may want to modify and re-engineer their devices at the code level" is so small, why spend the money to prevent them from owning the hardware they paid $499.99 plus taxes for?

In the interest of being fair and balanced (and a little smarmy) I'll also present the response of one highly respected member of the Android development community:

Seriously, @HTC @TMobile your little G2 "omg no hackers" thing is a joke, we're very close. Just need kernel source, GPL ring a bell?

The G2 is a great phone. In fact, I think it's the best Android phone I've ever used. T-Mobile customer care went above and beyond to help me get everything switched over. Don't make me regret buying it. [T-Mobile, @ChrisSoyars]