Hasta La Gadget!

Access to Google’s Glass headsets is still limited to a lucky few, but that’s more than enough to include several curious coders. Some have had success identifying the hardware contained within, but others are focusing on the software. Cydia founder Jay Freeman posted the above image on Twitter this afternoon to show that he had gained root access on his unit, telling Forbes he relied upon a well-known Android 4.0.4 exploit to take control of its OS. The bad news? He hasn’t been able to use it much yet, since the Explorer edition isn’t quite ready for prescription glasses wearers. For now, the question of whether the same technique will work on eventual retail versions remains unanswered, as well as what it’s actually going to be useful for. Steven Troughton-Smith suggests developers can use it to try out more complicated apps than Google currently allows, including always-on heads-up displays or camera apps. Overcoming any remote deactivation Google may try to enforce or loading your own unauthorized apps are also definite possibilities, though we’re sure others will surface soon.

Filed under: Wearables, Google

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Source: Jay Freeman (Twitter), Forbes, 9to5Google

Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy S 4 isn’t even on the shelves yet, but a team of dedicated tinkerers over at XDA Developers has already managed to root the thing. More »

There’s plenty of official news about Google TV this week at CES, but if you’re more interested in cracking the platform wide open unofficially this video may be of interest. The GTVHacker team reveals that it has been developing an exploit that will let it run custom kernels on “most” second generation Google TV devices, along with a custom recovery designed specifically for Google TV. It’s not ready for prime time just yet but in the video you can get a peek at it being loaded on a Sony NSZ-GS7 box, opening up wider access to the kinds of adjustments we’re already used to seeing on mobile Android devices. There’s no word on when this will see wide release, but you can hit the source link for more details plus a history of what the team has been up to since coming together over two years ago

Continue reading GTVHacker shows off custom recovery for Google TVs (video)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: GTVHacker

Digging the idea of picking up an Atrix HD, but bummed about that whole “locked bootloader” situation? Problem solved. Motorola has just introduced the Atrix HD Developer Edition, which offers up the exact same specifications as the original, but allows near infinite customizations thanks to an unlockable bootloader. For the laypeople in attendance, that allows tinkerers to install custom ROMs on the phone without any additional hackeration, thus giving them to power to overhaul Android’s look and feel in a major way. As of now, Moto’s not talking pricing or release, but you can follow the source link to sign up for updates. (Oh, and if you’re hoping for a quick turnaround, don’t even think about looking at how long it took the Galaxy S III Developer Edition to finally go on sale.)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Motorola reveals Atrix HD Developer Edition, highlights unlockable bootloader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And so it passed that Congress didst layeth its blessing on the jailbreaking and rooting of all manner of devices; the hacking community saw the miracle and rejoiced. But that amendment to the DMCA two years ago was just a temporary exemption and the Electronic Frontier Foundation has been vigorously lobbying to get it reinstated. The Library of Congress has now done just that through a new three year extension, but with some serious caveats: After 90 days, unlocking of new phones will be verboten and all tablet mods will still be illegal. This differs from the 2010 decision which did allow unlocking, because the Librarian decided that a recent copyright ruling means fair use rules no longer apply to a handset’s OS. It also said the exception isn’t needed anymore because carrier rules regarding unlocking are now more liberal — although the lawmaker may be confounding chicken with egg by that reasoning.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

DMCA update shuts down new phone unlocking next year, allows rooting (but not for tablets) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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