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T-Mobile myTouch 4G rooted, has G2 root to thank for it
Even when they're relatively easy to root, it usually takes a few weeks of elbow grease to get an Android device fully opened -- but thanks to the hard work that's been put into the T-Mobile G2 root recently, its just-released sister device has been cracked already, too. Sure enough, if you're willing to put a little time into it, you can now break your myTouch 4G wide open, which presumably means it won't take long before we see some stock ROMs become available (if you're into that sort of thing). Seriously, judging from the list of instructions, this isn't the easiest root in the world -- so unless you want to be up on the bleeding edge, you might want to hold out until some awesome ROMs start floating in. Then again, we totally understand if you do it right this second. We're the same way. [Thanks, Davis]
T-Mobile G2 gets a permanent, honest-to-goodness root
You can slow 'em down, HTC... but you can't stop 'em. That's the message that xda-developers is sending loud and clear today on news that the T-Mobile G2 has graduated from a temporary root solution to a permanent one, despite HTC's attempt to lock it down tight in hardware. Interestingly, the solution involves starting with the already-tried-and-true temporary root and applying a few additional steps; as always, you want to be careful with these sorts of things, but we've no doubt there are thousands of G2 owners out there who've already beaten us to the punch. Let us know how it goes, won't you? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sony Google TV booted into recovery mode, are we days away from a root? (video)
If it's running Android it has a root, and if it has a root some modder will find it. The Sony Google TV is most certainly running a flavor of Google's little OS and so it too is just waiting to be cracked open. While that hasn't happened yet, Android Forums and xda-developers member Apeman has managed to get us one step closer. He's enabled the recovery mode on his device by holding the power button down while plugging it in, presenting a tantalizing "System Update with USB" menu option. What lovely things will this unlock? You'll have to wait to see -- just like us.
T-Mobile G2 said to have 'hardware rootkit' that restricts modifications (update: confirmed)
Say it with us now: "Here we go again." Just months after a particular eFuse predicament left legions of Droid X owners fuming, it seems that an all-too-familiar scenario is presenting itself to the earliest of T-Mobile G2 buyers. As the story goes, there's a problematic microchip embedded into the handset which "prevents device owners from making permanent changes that allow custom modifications to the Android operating system." That's according to a lengthy New America report on the issue, which outright proclaims that a hardware rootkit "restricts modifications to a device owned by the user." In other words, if you install some fishy (or not fishy, for that matter) third party ROM, the phone is capable of overriding your software changes and reinstalling the original firmware -- makes perfect sense considering how earlier roots were "vanishing" post-reboot. Needless to say, this isn't exactly going over well with the tinkering community, and a 40+ page thread has already exploded over at xda developers. The silver lining isn't tough to spot, though -- chances are someone with ample time and sufficient coding skills will be able to circumvent this nonsense by the time the G2 actually finds its way back into stock. Update: And now T-Mobile confirms our worst fears. If you're looking to root, you best look elsewhere. Here's the full statement from the carrier: "As pioneers in Android-powered mobile devices, T-Mobile and HTC strive to support innovation. The T-Mobile G2 is a powerful and highly customizable Android-powered smartphone, which customers can personalize and make their own, from the look of their home screen to adding their favorite applications and more. The HTC software implementation on the G2 stores some components in read-only memory as a security measure to prevent key operating system software from becoming corrupted and rendering the device inoperable. There is a small subset of highly technical users who may want to modify and re-engineer their devices at the code level, known as "rooting," but a side effect of HTC's security measure is that these modifications are temporary and cannot be saved to permanent memory. As a result the original code is restored."
T-Mobile G2 gets rooted, believe it or not
Who would've thought that a new Android device -- much less an HTC -- would get rooted? Quickly, no less? Okay, so this isn't the first piece of somewhat-obvious news we've had to report today, but it's newsworthy nonetheless: instructions are now online for obtaining root on your shiny new G2, albeit temporarily. It seems that the current hack vanishes into thin air once you reboot... but you know how this goes: we're certain that we're just days (if not hours, or minutes) away from a permanent solution. In the meantime, you know, just don't reboot. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Confirmed: Droid 2 hack brings FM radio, in one ear and out the other
When we heard that the Motorola Droid 2 was the latest Android handset to nab the ancient magic of frequency modulated audio using Droid X files, we just had to give it a try, and sure enough, if you've got root, the FM Radio app can be yours with a quick download and just a few lines of code. Before you run off to void your warranty, however, you should know it's got a fairly desirable feature missing -- it only plays audio out of the right earphone. But hey, if we're going old school, we might as well go all the way, right? Excuse us while we go listen to some glorious monoaural sound. Files and instructions at our source links, immediately below.
Dell Streak's pre-rooted Android 2.1 update quietly suspended, revision coming in two or three weeks
Ruh roh. Looks like Dell's stepped onto its own toes real hard with the Streak's Android 2.1 update -- O2 just confirmed to us that due to some "feedback from users," it's decided to suspend said download while Dell gets cranking on a revised software release over the next two or three weeks. We weren't given the exact reasons behind this quiet withdrawal, but our friends over at MoDaCo might have had the answer for some time -- soon after the release, they discovered that the 2.1 firmware was in fact pre-rooted, thus leaving the Streak vulnerable to unauthorized access and modification (although handy for the seriously tech-minded). Yikes. On the bright side, such substantial time frame suggests that the upcoming fix should also address other bugs like incompatibility with the desktop suite, weird loading behavior in the browser, and missing WMV video playback functionality. And here comes the inevitable question: what about Froyo? Well, neither Dell nor O2 could provide a date for the Streak's scoop of frozen dessert, but we'll bet you a white iPhone 4 that it won't be out in October.
Samsung Galaxy Tab rooted, just for bragging rights
Okay, Sera-Apps, we're happy you cracked the Milestone, but now you're showing off -- rooting the Samsung Galaxy Tab probably a full month before launch. Do you really want Samsung to have time to patch those holes? That's what we thought. Now, go enjoy your Superuser status, and please save some exploits for the rest of us.
The revolving door: Froyo for Droid Incredible coming tomorrow, Froyo for EVO 4G gets rooted
The rich landscape of Android versioning just got a bit richer, with word of an official Froyo update for the Droid Incredible being launched tomorrow (based on the screencap pictured above), while the EVO 4G's recent Froyo software just got rooted. If you're crazily impatient, an Android 2.2 ROM for the Incredible just leaked out into the wild, and can be installed with a bit of work, but from the official-looking-ness of this leak from Droid Life, a painless official update is not far off. Meanwhile, in Sprint land, the xda-devs have a rather complicated, rather scary method posted for rooting 2.2 on the EVO 4G -- you'll have to ask yourself how much that freedom is worth to you, or just wait for the inevitably easier methods to come along and hold your hand.
Droid 2 root method finds its way online
The very first line of the forum post on xda-developers says it best -- proceed at your own risk -- but if you've been kept up at night waiting for root to be gained on Verizon's recently-released Droid 2, it looks like your day has come. The process involves tethering up to your PC and transferring a couple binaries, but seems straightforward enough and should open the door to surcharge-free tethering and other apps that require root access. We've no doubt Motorola will be looking to patch this up with the next OTA push, of course, so update carefully from here on out. [Thanks, Jonathan]
HTC Wildfire gets 'soft rooted,' good enough to install root apps
It's not quite as awesome as a full root, but HTC's low-end Wildfire has now fallen to a halfway measure that's good enough to let you install apps that require root. For some users who aren't looking to obliterate their stock ROM, that should be good enough, since you'll still be able to do rooty things like move any app to microSD -- and needless to say, we're sure this is just a stepping stone to a full root anyhow. We're still waiting for a software hack that gets us an HVGA display on this thing, but as far as we know, even the craftiest hackers have a bit of work left on that one.
Entourage Edge gets rooted with ease, may get a bit more exciting
It's probably in large part due to the design, but the Entourage Edge never has taken off the way Barnes & Noble's Nook or Amazon's Kindle has. But now, that all has a chance to change. The dual-screen e-reader has finally had its very own root canal, and it's probably the easiest root process we've ever seen. The crafty folks over at Android Police were able to tap into the Edge's inner workings by entering a simple code into the Debug menu, and from there, it's a few short steps to installing Superuser. The purpose? To restart the imagination of owners, and to snag Android 2.2, the Android Market and a couple of overclocking opportunities if they're lucky. Head on past the break for a quick video, and then dart to the source link if you're itching to replicate this on your own device.
Tweaker ports Samsung's TouchWIz UI onto non-rooted Nexus One for reasons unknown
This one's been kicking around the interwebs for a few weeks now, but it has managed to grow into something of a beast during that period. Frankly, we couldn't think of less fitting way to send the glorious Nexus One out than to completely deface it and ruin what Google has worked so hard to perfect. But regardless of what we think, that's exactly what has happened here. One rolle3k over at xda developers clearly has a masochistic gene or two planted inside of his skull, but at least his APK doesn't require your N1 to be rooted before providing you access to a TouchWiz user interface. Feel free to hit the source if you're up for seeing what you've been missing out on, but only if you literally cannot think of a single better thing to do with your time.
Motorola Cliq / Dext gets leaked Android 2.1 update, not pinch-to-zoom (video)
Don't know about you, but our poor Motorola Dext (or Cliq as it's know in the Land of the Free) had been left gathering dust for some time as it got unbearably laggy, even after a few wipes. We only clung onto this Android 1.5 device in the hope that Motorola or T-Mobile would stick to their update schedules. And boy we got lucky, as an anonymous leakster dropped off an allegedly official T-Mobile 2.1 ROM for said phone yesterday, which sounds about right when you think of the carrier's planned August update. Read on to find out how the new ROM's running on our Dext -- we've also got a hands-on video for you.%Gallery-97967%
Droid X can now be counted among the rooted (update: video!)
It's recently come to our attention that Birdman over at the AllDroid.org forums has rooted the Droid X. By all accounts (which, at the time of this writing, consists of two forum posts that exclaim "it works!") things are going beautifully, so what do you think? Ready to pierce the soft underbelly of your smartphone's OS? Been dying to get a hot session of ADB going? Hit the source link, and remember: if you brick your phone, you only have yourself to blame. Update: We've added a video of the process after the break. Thanks, Steven! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Root already working on Samsung Captivate, other US Galaxy S models
Normally, you've got to wait... you know, at least a few hours after a new Android phone's released for a root technique to pop up -- but thanks to the Captivate's lineage, hackers have already been able to get the ball rolling. Indeed, it turns out that the root method already employed on the European version of the Galaxy S works just fine on the Captivate and Vibrant, and presumably, it'll work just the same on Fascinate and Epic 4G with a minimum of modification. Reports are already trickling in that Market apps requiring root are working like champs, so we're feeling good about this one. [Thanks, Andrew]
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 has been rooted, all is right with the world
Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 has been out and about for some time, facing off against the competition and predictably getting ripped to shreds. Now it has reached the next natural step of its evolution: receiving the root treatment by a bloke at xda-developers. Users Jerpelea, biktor_gj, and Bin4ry over there have posted step-by-step instructions on how to locate your device ID, re-flash your phone, and then enable superuser abilities. It all looks particularly straightforward, as far as these things go, and so if you're looking for a bit more control this weekend don't hesitate to click on through.
Latest EVO 4G root uses Flash Lite exploit to do its deed
The cat-and-mouse struggle between Android users, carriers, and manufacturers to gain, patch, and re-gain root is one that shows no signs of slowing down, but the EVO 4G's latest recommended root method is particularly creative. Made necessary after the most recent over-the-air firmware update patched the old way of doing it, you've now got to visit a page on Adobe's site for tweaking local Flash settings, at which point a script works some magic and apparently takes advantage of a vulnerability in the EVO's Flash Lite build. Of course, that's just one of twelve harrowing steps in the whole process -- but regardless, it's not often we're thanking our lucky stars for a security issue.
Hacker finds root for Samsung's Galaxy S
We've seen the inside of the hardware for Samsung's Galaxy S, and now a Russian coder who goes by the name LeshaK is ready to take you down to the core of the software -- despite himself not actually having one of the phones. He's posted a kernel that you can apply for easy unpacking or, if that's not your thing, provided the commands you can use to do it yourself, which look to be as simple as changing the permissions on 'su' and then re-flashing the phone with the new, lighter restrictions. We're not able to test this ourselves, but a few users are reporting infinitely looping reboots when trying to apply this, so we'd advise reading the entire thread on the other end of that source link before you go ahead and ruin your whole Wednesday. [Thanks, Amit]
EVO 4G gets 802.11n WiFi by changing two lines of code
The EVO 4G has a lot of weight in the smartphone arena thanks to WiMAX and that 4.3-inch screen, but though its Broadcom BCM4329 silicon also technically supports 802.11n WiFi over 2.4GHz, the protocol was disabled for some reason. Thankfully it's just a matter of ten characters to enable greater throughput, as the fine folks at xda-developers recently discovered. Better yet, you don't even have to edit those characters yourself -- if your EVO's nice and rooted and the word "brick" doesn't inspire fear, you'll find instructions and flash-ready ZIP files at our source link.
