Upon the release of a new device, a mission that many developers undertake is to root the device and unlock the bootloader. After this, typically comes a deluge of development in the form of custom ROMs, kernels, and other mods and tweaks. It can be said that the life of a device doesn't truly begin until the warranty has been thoroughly voided. For Acer Iconia A700 and A510 users, that journey can start right now.

The Iconia A700 bootloader unlock and root tutorials were a combined effort of XDA Forum Members ZeroNull and alx5962, while the A510 tutorial is covered by XDA Forum Member BENETNATH.

For the A700, bootloader unlock and root is quite simple. For unlock, use the fastboot oem unlock method. If it were only that easy on other popular devices. Obtaining root is only slightly more complicated, as users will have to download and unpack a file, and flash it via Windows Command Prompt with Administrator Privileges. That's it.

Currently, the A510 is using the Iconia A100 exploit to gain root. While the method isn't expected to last beyond the next firmware update, it has been confirmed working on all current firmware versions of the A510. Unlocking the bootloader is still easy, as it's the same fastboot oem unlock method. Certain other companies could pick up a few tips from Acer.

You can find the A700 guides in the A700 bootloader unlock thread and the A700 root thread. Everything an A510 user needs can be found in the A510 root and bootloader thread.