Just Days After Release, Google's Nexus 4 Has Already Been Rooted

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Just Days After Release, Google's Nexus 4 Has Already Been Rooted

Posted by timothy on Friday November 16, 2012 @11:11PM from the slathered-scattered-and-smothered dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Google's Nexus 4 sold out around the world very quickly this week, and while there was talk of very limited supply, apparently some key people managed to get their hands on it. That's right: the Nexus 4 has already been rooted."

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Why is this news? by Severus+Snape · 2012-11-16 23:14 · Score: 4, Interesting

Isn't this supposed to be dead easy?
1. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-16 23:22 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Yep, it's an unlocked device and you're supposed to be able to root it without issue.
2. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-16 23:26 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Why is it news?
  Because the "reporter" lives under the iStockholmSyndrome and thinks that having access to hardware you bought can only be done through clever trickery.
3. Re:Why is this news? by movrev · 2012-11-16 23:26 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  From Wikipedia: "The Google-branded Android devices, the Nexus One, Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus, can be boot-loader unlocked by simply connecting the device to a computer while in boot-loader mode and running the Fastboot program with the command "fastboot oem unlock".[7] After accepting a warning the boot-loader will be unlocked so that a new system image can be written directly to flash without the need for an exploit."
4. Re:Why is this news? by movrev · 2012-11-16 23:29 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Here's the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooting_(Android_OS)
5. Re:Why is this news? by Psychotria · 2012-11-16 23:32 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Isn't this supposed to be dead easy?
  It's not news. Clueless journalist and an even more clueless Timothy for accepting this as a story. But, hey, what else should we expect?
6. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 00:05 · Score: 1
  
  Yes this is a completely stupid article. The title should be "Some dude installed a custom firmware on a Nexus 4 by following the documentation provided by Google". But then I guess it wouldn't generate clicks.
  Reading this summary I thought that someone had gained root without doing the oem unlock which, while not very interesting, would at least have used an undocumented way of achieving the result.
7. Re:Why is this news? by Psychotria · 2012-11-17 00:06 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  MEDIA RELEASE
  Status: Current
  Release: For general public
  Copyright: (C) 2012, McDaffy Duck incorporated, All Rights Reserved (R)
  Approved by: Timothy
  Introduction
  Today McDaffy -- a leading anti-virus/malware/knowledge vendor -- made a startling discovery. Researchers at McDaffy for months have been toiling over and reverse engineering code from myriad sources (although the source was not available.) McDaffy is disclosing this information in the interests of honest disclosure. Severe security flaws are found on Personal Computers and PCs.
  Background and Terminology
  Beginning in early 1986 McDaffy researchers began exploring the possibility of running arbitrary code on arbitrary hardware where not only was the "root password" was known but the hardware was directly available and accessible. After 26 years of careful research a talented intern hit upon the jackpot. Through a cunning combination of access to hardware, an open operating system, and 15 M&Ms he was able to inject carefully crafted code into the colonel.
  Colonel: The heart of a computer
  CPU: Cologne Prince(poofter) Unit
  Once the intern had impregnated the colonel with the tainted DNA (code) he had unimaginable access to the system. The colonel directs all orders of the computer. Orders of the user, I mean. Or something. Anyway this injection of sperm allowed the intern unimaginable power. He had zero day access!
  Zero day access: The time it takes to impregnate a colonel; in this case zero days
  Results
  The code was injected from the host (the intern) into the target. Target is a technical term for the colonel. This took 0-days (hence the term). The intern then inserted his CD into the Drive (CD = Crusty Doodle; Drive = Penis... err, or Vagina). Upon injection the Vagina immediately seized up, causing a terminal crash. Quickly removing the CD and inserting his USB (Unsatisfactory Satisfying Boobies, I see Boobies) into the vegena the intern immediately had rooted the thingy. And he was happy.
8. Re:Why is this news? by lord_rob+the+only+on · 2012-11-17 00:06 · Score: 1
  
  The news is that it sold out very quickly, and Android really starts to have the iEffect.
  And the catch is that I couldn't get my Nexus 7 3G :-(.
9. Re:Why is this news? by Macthorpe · 2012-11-17 00:12 · Score: 2
  
  Well, unlocking the bootloader is not the same as rooting, which is why it's more news than it people give it credit for.
  
  --
  "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
10. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 00:30 · Score: 0
  
  And the catch is that I couldn't get my Nexus 7 3G :-(.
  Yes, but it's more important that the rooters get their hands on it before consumers do to protect the openness of the software universe (at least to the "news" desk at /.)
11. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 00:32 · Score: 1
  
  Same old procedure as other Nexus devices - "fastboot oem unlock", install CWM, install su.
  Other news that didn't make the cut: "Just hours after release hackers find a way to install non-Google approved applications on Nexus 4", "Just minutes after release enthusiasts figure out how turn Nexus 4 on".
12. Re:Why is this news? by ewanm89 · 2012-11-17 00:41 · Score: 1
  
  Not, much more, the rest is the same as any nexus device, you boot an insecure boot image, this means that it does a boot running entirely from an image stored on the computer, all this image does is change a single flag in a config file to get the linux kernel to stop blocking UID 0, and adds the su binary, usually an apk of the configuration tool for that particular su binary and a copy of busybox so you have some shell tools. This is the same on any Nexus device.
13. Re:Why is this news? by XaN-ASMoDi · 2012-11-17 01:06 · Score: 2
  
  In other breaking news, scientist reveal night follows day SHOCKER!
  
  --
  Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.
14. Re:Why is this news? by thegarbz · 2012-11-17 01:19 · Score: 1
  
  Well, unlocking the bootloader is not the same as rooting, which is why it's more news than it people give it credit for.
  No this is neither news nor does it deserve credit. You want to unlock the bootloader on your Nexus 4? Use the same method as you do for any other Nexus device. Use the method that is in the official Android documentation.
15. Re:Why is this news? by thegarbz · 2012-11-17 01:20 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  From Wikipedia:
  Even better: From the Android documentation
16. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 01:21 · Score: 1
  
  Meanwhile I have concluded based on my own observations that day follows night, because it was night just a few hours ago and now the sun is up.
17. Re:Why is this news? by Karlt1 · 2012-11-17 01:21 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Right because "sold out" automatically means that the Nexus is doing as well as the iPhone without knowing how many were sold.
18. Re:Why is this news? by JustOK · 2012-11-17 01:58 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  In other breaking news, scientist reveal night follows day SHOCKER!
  It's just a correlation
  
  --
  rewriting history since 2109
19. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 02:05 · Score: 0
  
  what the news is, is google didn't make very many.
20. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 02:09 · Score: 0
  
  Also Microsoft is evil and is destroying software.
21. Re:Why is this news? by lord_rob+the+only+on · 2012-11-17 02:32 · Score: 1
  
  Hell no but the number of iPhone 5 that sold the first day needed to have been physically built already (I know not all people were satisfied anyway).
  Google couldn't make such a bet stayed careful, and didn't surf on the iHype. So comparatively it's a very good score yes. And also here it's out of stock with a lot of preorders ...
22. Re:Why is this news? by wbr1 · 2012-11-17 02:36 · Score: 1
  
  Wow.. reads better than MyCleanPC spam!
  
  --
  Silence is a state of mime.
23. Re:Why is this news? by Taco+Cowboy · 2012-11-17 02:44 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Yep, it's an unlocked device and you're supposed to be able to root it without issue.
  which, I find very amusing...
  Slashdot supposed to be a place for geeks, and look what we have here ... Both the Slashdot Submitter and Slashdot Editor do not know that Google's Nexus devices are made to be rootable.
  How can Slashdot remains a geeky place when the editor ain't geeky enough?
  
  --
  Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
24. Re:Why is this news? by Karlt1 · 2012-11-17 02:47 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  So without knowing how many we're built, "it's a very good score?" Apple announced how many they sold the first weekend. Why won't Google? If they only made 50,000 and "sold out", is that good?
25. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 02:47 · Score: -1
  
  Why is it news? Because YOU didn't do it. When YOU do something noteworthy, then let slashdot know. Otherwise, STFU.
  Seriously, no one's forcing you to click on the article. Either support it or not, but goddamn just stop being a whiny bitch.
26. Re:Why is this news? by poetmatt · 2012-11-17 02:59 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, I don't even understand.
  I'm definitely someone who prefers android devices over the competition but even I fail to understand why rooting a device that basically allows rooting is significant in any fashion whatsoever, and why it even should be in the news stream for slashdot.
  Then again, slashdot always has the "google is in trouble" articles submitted by MS/apple fanboys, so I suppose this is another layer of trash on top of those trash articles as well. In short, as usual slashdot is a mixed bag of 15% relevant articles and 85% complete garbage.
27. Re:Why is this news? by Runaway1956 · 2012-11-17 03:00 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  "Sold out" means the same thing in any time or place:
  More people want them, than are available. In a "free market", that scarcity drives prices up. Apple intentionally creates that kind of scarcity, and it's possible that the same trick has been pulled here.
  
  --
  "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
28. Re:Why is this news? by DragonTHC · 2012-11-17 03:16 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe not the Nexus, but android devices overall are smashing the iphone.
  Perhaps it's the choice, perhaps it's the open platform.
  I just prefer being able to root my phone and tablet.
  I unlocked and rooted my Nexus 7 just because I could. Then I decided to unroot and lock it again simply because it's so good as stock.
  
  --
  They're using their grammar skills there.
29. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 03:45 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I wish they would announce how many they sold. They still don't "get" physical merchandise fulfillment at all. I was trying to order one from 2:30 AM on the day they came out. They didn't bother to tell anyone WHEN they would become available on that day - we had to rely on reports from tech news sites that "it showed up in Australia and sold out in 1 hour and the play store was unusable". Finally at 8:37 AM Pacific Time, it shows up. I put one in my cart and proceed to checkout. I select a credit card and shipping address, then submit and - it clocks - and errors out and auto cancels my order. Within five offices of me two other folks were trying to order too. None of us got one. From what I understand there were a whole bunch of people wanting them that got nothing. We had also registered in advance for notification when they became available. No notification went out. During the "slow response" and errors the play store was getting, we registered again for notifications (hoping that they would tell us when they go back into stock or will actually allow pre-orders like other retailers). Now you can't even register anymore. They definitely screwed this up. And they continue to screw it up by not communicating AT ALL about it - they won't tell us when they might have more, won't let us pre-order, etc. I suggest that next time they let someone who knows how to build a store front site so that it stays up do the fulfillment. They should probably ask Google too as Google would have known how many units they needed. After all Google has all that data on everyone and they sell targeted ads. They can harvest Google+ posts (like mine that said I would be buying this phone day one). Oh wait - they are Google. WTF? They should have known how many they would need.
30. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 04:40 · Score: 0
  
  Rooting is not the same thing as unlocking the bootloader.
  Unlocking the bootloader lets you download ("flash") new software to your phone. You use the adb and fastboot programs which come with the official android SDK.
  Rooting allows you superuser access to your phone. You can get a command prompt running on your phone such as bash, but the file system is mounted read only, except for what is essentially your /home folder (in this case it is called "/sdcard" because of convention, there is no actual sd card in any of the newer nexus devices). As well, there is no su or sudo binary on the system, so you cannot run root commands or remount file systems. Rooting refers to installing an su binary, and setting up restrictions on it a la sudo, so rogue software can't call su without the user affirming a prompt. Rooting is easily done with 3rd party mods and such, but there is no simple supported by Google way to do it that I know of.
  I own a Galaxy Nexus phone. It is an open device but it makes you jump through a few hoops.
31. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 04:48 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  I'm pretty sure Google is selling them for the same price regardless of whether or not they sold out. Here in the real world, there are more important, complicating factors than, "what's the most you can demand for this widget according to intersection on supply & demand".
  And sales volume for a Nexus device will likely be smaller than whatever Apple's new iPhone is. That's not good or bad, there are just a hundred Android devices out there to pick from.
  And more important - why do we care? Both kinds are doing well. Worry about whether or not the Nexus is a good phone or not. These are all just cell phones, after all.
32. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 04:55 · Score: -1
  
  I came inside your asshole.
33. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 05:06 · Score: 0
  
  and you're supposed to be able to root it without issue
  Yes, dead easy. Just replace your warrantied OS.
  That's not "rooting", that's reinstalling.
34. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 05:09 · Score: 0
  
  How dare you bring logic into this discussion!
35. Re:Why is this news? by techsoldaten · 2012-11-17 05:41 · Score: 1
  
  The sales numbers probably don't matter as much as the perception that everyone wants it. I know we all want to know these numbers, but they don't really matter when it comes to building demand around a product.
  The market impact of scarcity is not strictly measured in terms of sales price, retail or otherwise. In device markets, scarcity is a driver in consumer decisions and perception, the reason you want your device to be hard to get is because people will want it more (since everyone else wants it). This is the reason businesses spend so much building PR around their products and finding ways to get people to talk about them.
  Think about the HP Touchpad and WebOS for a moment. Technical issues aside, the reason it did not sell was that no one else was buying it. No one wanted a product where support night not exist in a couple years.
  After HP was faced with a lack of market adoption, they killed the line, which just reinforced people's perceptions that it was not a good product to begin with. This also reinforced people's perceptions that the iPad was indomitable, as this was a big company making a big push to get a foothold in a new market.
  Perception is a lot more important than number of devices sold when it comes to driving adoption in a market, which is what opens the door to achieving pricing power. Number of units sold is really useful as a number on sales calls and earnings reports, it shows how profitable a business is based on sales.
36. Re:Why is this news? by techsoldaten · 2012-11-17 05:47 · Score: 1
  
  The fact the phone has been rooted is not news in the sense that this was a significant or difficult accomplishment. It is news in the sense that people are doing things with it, and this fact really just serves to build people's perceptions that the product is popular.
  Let's face it, the majority of people who will hear this fact are not going to understand that this is a non-achievement, or that the phone was actually designed to allow people to do this. The small number of people who actually understand what rooting an Android device really means are not the target for a story like this, it aims to affect the opinions of people who are trying to decide if they want a Nexus. It makes them think the phone is in demand from others, which increases the perceived value of the device.
  Take the story back a few years, substitute an iPhone and a company that wants their devices to operate strictly in a walled garden, and you have a real story to be told. This is just PR.
37. Re:Why is this news? by techsoldaten · 2012-11-17 05:53 · Score: 1
  
  I think it's less about clueless reporters and more about corporate PR. Google wants people to think the phone is in demand, and they pollenate various news outlets with the story. There are enough people in the world who have no idea what rooting an Android device is that this sounds like something interesting, when really it's not. At some point, they can score more points by issuing additional news releases stating the first ones are bogus and the phone was designed to act that way.
  It's easy to understand why this sounds like news when you think about all the hype that existed around people trying to unlock the iPhone. That was an actual struggle, there were potential legal issues, there were risks involved in phones bricking, there were shady hackers from all over the world coming together to make things happen, etc. With an Android phone, there's really just a setting called Developer Mode and some company-supported terminal applications for doing what you need to do.
  It's all a cycle... *sigh*
38. Re:Why is this news? by Vintermann · 2012-11-17 07:39 · Score: 1
  
  Yes... because Apple also only tend to boast that it's sold out.
  
  --
  xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
39. Re:Why is this news? by Karlt1 · 2012-11-17 07:43 · Score: 1
  
  Really?
  http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/09/24iPhone-5-First-Weekend-Sales-Top-Five-Million.html
  Apple also releases how many phones it sells every quarter.
40. Re:Why is this news? by petermgreen · 2012-11-17 08:56 · Score: 1
  
  Unlocking the bootloader lets you download ("flash") new software to your phone.
  AIUI it lets you do other things too like boot images transferred from the host machine and boot the installed image with special boot options.
  This provides a way of inserting the "rooting tool" and giving it the appropriate permissions without having to either exploit security holes or reflash the firmware.
  But I agee it's strange that there is no official "rooting tool".....
  
  --
  note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
41. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 11:08 · Score: 0
  
  They get more ad impressions and higher membership numbers if the site is less geeky and more mainstream. That's why we get dumbed down technology articles and so much about highly accessible subjects like politics. Inflammatory titles also draw clicks. Apparently being a niche site which caters to higher order geeks isn't profitable enough.
42. Re:Why is this news? by MurukeshM · 2012-11-17 19:59 · Score: 1
  
  Indeed. It could just as well be 'day follows night.'
43. Re:Why is this news? by fuzzywig · 2012-11-18 22:12 · Score: 1
  
  Weirdly, I found rooting my Nexus Galaxy slightly harder than my old HTC Desire. I had to install the Android SDK, which required the Java JDK, (but only the 32 bit version, 64 bit was right out), and then futz about in a shell pushing files to the device. The process on the Desire was, plug in phone, click button. Basically, hackers who root devices seem to have pride in their work and like to make things streamlined, whereas Google just made sure that it was possible and left it at that.
Rubbish by ConallB · 2012-11-16 23:19 · Score: 5, Informative

Entering the command "fastboot oem unlock" using ADB is what enables custom firmware and bootloaders to be flashed. This is hardly a revelation. In fact, this is how you unlock many Motorola devices and others. Saying it has "already been rooted", as if there was some kind of elaborate hack or cleverness involved is simply wrong. Thats like saying by taking off your training wheels yo9u somehow rooted your bicycle.

--
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
1. Re:Rubbish by aneroid · 2012-11-16 23:30 · Score: 1
  
  In fact, this is how you unlock many Motorola devices and others.
  "Others" in this case. Nexus 4: LG.
Nexus line... by luftrofl · 2012-11-16 23:20 · Score: 0

I was under the impression that doing so was always trivial by design, no?
1. Re:Nexus line... by lennier1 · 2012-11-16 23:35 · Score: 1
  
  It usually involves just enough action by the user to ensure that it's done intentionally.
Open Source? What?? I'm confused... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-16 23:23 · Score: 2

Isn't android supposed to be open sourced? And doesn't Google provide instructions and the tools to root a phone? I was under the impression that it was praised for those reasons.
1. Re:Open Source? What?? I'm confused... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 00:08 · Score: 0
  
  Isn't android supposed to be open sourced? And doesn't Google provide instructions and the tools to root a phone? I was under the impression that it was praised for those reasons.
  Why is that modded "troll"?
  Android is open source. Google do provide the tools to root their Nexus phones, of which this is one. They are praised for that reason.
All Nexus are easy by SirJorgelOfBorgel · 2012-11-16 23:23 · Score: 5, Insightful

All Nexus devices can be rooted in 30 seconds or less .... by design.
1. Re:All Nexus are easy by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 00:21 · Score: 0
  
  And that's the only reason I got my Nexus 7.
  With Android I can use AIDE to write Java apps on the device freeing me from having to use Linux or Windows on my PC. No rooting necessary. IOS devices are closed even when rooted. You need a Mac to have a relatively open platform. And then it's hard to see how are you avoiding the garden walls.
  Hopefully in the future, the whole platform can be made more portable and it can drop the Winux requirement to write apps for Android in a decent language.
2. Re:All Nexus are easy by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 00:38 · Score: 0
  
  All Nexus devices can be rooted in 30 seconds or less .... by design.
  Seriously. The only thing that takes any time is installing ADB and depending on the system, getting the drivers working so that your machine can recognize the device. After that, if you can type in a few commands, or learn to copy and paste, it's a trivial affair, and that is working as intended.
  The "news" here is that someone got access to a Nexus 4.
Was it ... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-16 23:31 · Score: -1

Someone from Milwaukee? Awful hard to get a job there. Very unfriendly place.
http://files.mail.ru/D1378W?t=1
Bootloader Unlocking is not Rooting by aycaramba · 2012-11-16 23:32 · Score: -1

Bootloader Unlocking enables you to upload different Roms to the device. Rooting means having root access on the Rom, which allows processes to be run which otherwise wouldnt be possible. So, while unlocking is indeed a simple process on nexus devices, getting root is still not. In this case it involves flashing linux tools via an insecure bootloader.
1. Re:Bootloader Unlocking is not Rooting by ewanm89 · 2012-11-17 00:50 · Score: 1
  
  Bootloader unloacking also allows one to boot a ROM stored as an image on another computer, so, I can then plug the device in and boot an insecure boot image which is basically an image of a pre-rooted ROM, I then use this to add and change a couple of files on the device (the insecure boot images tend to have this prescripted and automatically reboot back to the now rooted ROM on the device after) and job done.
2. Re:Bootloader Unlocking is not Rooting by aycaramba · 2012-11-17 01:06 · Score: 0
  
  Right...but thats not exactly the same as typing "fastboot oem unlock" into adbshell and its done. Most of the people (and mods) here seem to think it is.
3. Re:Bootloader Unlocking is not Rooting by ewanm89 · 2012-11-17 01:50 · Score: 2
  
  no, but it's not much more:
  fastboot oem unlock
  fastboot boot .img
  maybe then depending on how image above was setup:
  adb push su /bin/
  adb install SuperUser.apk/SuperSU.apk
  adb reboot
I don't get it by kthreadd · 2012-11-16 23:33 · Score: 1

Isn't Nexus the one Android device that is supposed to be open from the start?
1. Re:I don't get it by lord_rob+the+only+on · 2012-11-16 23:48 · Score: 1
  
  It is, it's the reference Android model when there is a new (major) Android version.
  But now many other manufacturers allow their phones to be rooted (e.g. HTC, Sony) given they know you are doing so. For HTC phones, an easy hack is Revolutionary (http://www.revolutionary.io). This is tanks to revolutionary that HTC allowed their devices to be rooted "legally".
  Sony allows to root their phones if you subscribe to their developer program too.
2. Re:I don't get it by thegarbz · 2012-11-17 01:13 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Open and Rooted are two different things.
  The Nexus is not Rooted from the start.
  Rooted means that apps and the user may have superuser access to the system. Much like running as root in Linux this is generally not something that is needed for day to day usage. There's very few things that actually require root access to your phone. Some of the things I can think of is the ability to modify and delete system applications, write custom settings to the kernel (overclock, enable different schedulers etc), and modify system files like the hosts file. Some of these are used by things like adblockers, and as for the rest... well lets just say with a rooted phone you actually can damage the hardware if you do something wrong. Rooting often involves flashing a custom kernel to the phone. To do this requires an unlocked bootloader which many devices don't have and where a lot of the hacking really takes place (see next comment).
  The Nexus is Open from the start.
  What Open means is that there are no additional lockdowns over what is the vanilla Android experience. There's no carrier apps that can't be uninstalled, no customisations, and most importantly there's an accepted, endorsed and well documented method of unlocking the bootloader on the device after which you can effectively do whatever the heck you want to it including rooting, or even installing a completely different Android operating system like Cyanogenmod.
  The only thing here that I don't get is why this garbage that passes as journalism thinks this is a worthy story. Effectively the Nexus 4 has had the ability to be rooted long before it's release given how the latest JellyBean has kernels that incorporate root access in the wild since day one, and that unlocking the bootloader to install it is as easy as using ADB to send the command "fastboot oem unlock" to the phone, just like with every previous Nexus device.
3. Re:I don't get it by Black+Parrot · 2012-11-17 01:28 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  This is tanks to revolutionary
  +1, Unexpected Metaphor
  
  --
  Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
4. Re:I don't get it by Lincolnshire+Poacher · 2012-11-17 05:18 · Score: 1
  
  There's no carrier apps that can't be uninstalled
  Of course there are junk apps.
  Google Now, Google Wallet, Gmail, Picasa... all cluttering-up the phone and untouchable by humans.
  
  There's very few things that actually require root access to your phone.
  Setting the MTU for a corporate WLAN. Loading TUN / TAP kernel modules to use a corporate VPN. See a pattern?
5. Re:I don't get it by thegarbz · 2012-11-17 10:40 · Score: 2
  
  Somehow I'm struggling with the concept of buying a Google branded phone with Google services and then calling the Google apps junk. I noticed that you didn't mention Google Maps, is that maybe because you like maps and as such think everything is junk because you don't use it?
  This is quite different from say the Samsung App store which at the time when I purchased my Galaxy S has 2 (yes only two) apps in it. I also had Optus apps that did nothing other than redirect me to facebook's website. THAT is junk, the above ones you mention are actually quite useful and well coded.
  As for your corporate examples, this is not something an end user would do. If your company provides you with a phone and instructions to root it and set a different MTU then it's time to fire the IT staff. If you want to put non end user cases into why you would root the phone then simply mention the words developers and you'll have a significantly larger base requiring rooted phone then some obscure corporate VPN.
6. Re:I don't get it by Cederic · 2012-11-18 00:08 · Score: 1
  
  Somehow I'm struggling with the concept of buying a Google branded phone with Google services and then calling the Google apps junk. I noticed that you didn't mention Google Maps, is that maybe because you like maps and as such think everything is junk because you don't use it?
  Just because he thinks a different set of the default apps is junk to you isn't pertinent. What he has a problem with is the inability to uninstall them.
  I sympathise, my Transformer Infinity keeps trying to update some shit proprietary malware called Kindle that I can't uninstall.
but but Android is open source so it's FREEE by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-16 23:35 · Score: -1

or have i been tricked?
So? by Trax3001BBS · 2012-11-16 23:45 · Score: 1

All I can think of is so? Google has been know to give android phones
to those that root and make that info pubic, this was before the cell phones public release.
No cite but rooting a Motorola Xoom (Google's) I came across that tidbit on www.xda-developers.com.
Google isn't Apple they don't care nor would they have a problem with it
Here's how and it's 2 days old http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1993331
1. Re:So? by thegarbz · 2012-11-17 01:23 · Score: 1
  
  All I can think of is so? Google has been know to give android phones
  to those that root and make that info pubic, this was before the cell phones public release.
  Better yet, Google has been known to simply document how to unlock the bootloaders on their devices. This isn't even a case of giving the devices to hackers to hack, it's a case of someone writing the step by step instructions into a forum post using the officially endorsed method of rooting Nexus devices.
Why is this a story? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 00:00 · Score: 0

OK, and?
That's like saying someone hooked a home theater to their TV three days after release.
Its not like Google has ever blocked, or cared, if someone rooted a device
Missing the point by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 00:21 · Score: 2, Informative

Yes they are easy to root, but you still have to know what to do once the bootloader is unlocked, meaning flashing Clockworkmod, installing the superuser or supersu apk and such.
1. Re:Missing the point by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 00:42 · Score: 1
  
  How is that a point?
  There are three steps here. Install stuff on your machine. Unlock bootloaader. Root/do whatever.
  These steps are not novel. Having done the same with a number of Android phones, I'm confident I can do this with my Nexus 4 (when the bloody thing arrives), in under a minute. That is not because I'm some elite haxor-- it's because the phones are MEANT to be easy to root. The headline implies that it was an accomplishment to do so, which is completely false.
2. Re:Missing the point by ewanm89 · 2012-11-17 00:55 · Score: 2
  
  You do not need to install a custom recovery image like clockworkmod recovery to root.
3. Re:Missing the point by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 03:10 · Score: 1
  
  I think the real accomplishment was actually getting the Nexus 4 from Google.
Google should have expected this by Black+Parrot · 2012-11-17 01:26 · Score: 1

You shouldn't release a product at this time of year if you don't want it rooted

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Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
you made it, timothy by csumpi · 2012-11-17 01:37 · Score: 2

you made it into pop culture history today:

pulling a timothy: blatantly stating the obvious from an obviously false angle
In other words by kasperd · 2012-11-17 02:20 · Score: 3, Insightful

You can own a Nexus phone, you just have to buy it. Unlike other phones, which are still owned by the vendor even after they have been bought by a consumer.

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Do you care about the security of your wireless mouse?
1. Re:In other words by the_humeister · 2012-11-17 04:44 · Score: 1
  
  Not sure what you mean by that. I have an AT&T SGS II. It's running Cyanogenmod 10 and is unlocked.
2. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 07:15 · Score: 0
  
  Are you able to cancel AT&T without paying a whopping subsidy penalty? If not (you're still under contract) you own squat.
3. Re:In other words by kasperd · 2012-11-17 20:56 · Score: 1
  
  I have an AT&T SGS II. It's running Cyanogenmod 10 and is unlocked.
  When I said "unlike other phones", it was not to be read as "unlike all other phones". Rather it was to be read as "unlike some other phones" or "unlike most other phones". I was merely pondering on the fact that it was considered newsworthy, that you can own a phone, which you have bought.
  
  --
  
  Do you care about the security of your wireless mouse?
0-day exploit!!! by fsmunoz · 2012-11-17 03:15 · Score: 4, Interesting

CONFIRMED: WIndows 8 0-day security BREACH, a certain Tim Black from MN has reported that he was able to log in as Administrator in a Thinkpad laptop he had bought just one hour before. The hack consists in introducing the password that he had previously defined!
GROUNDBREAKING: we have received an unconfirmed as of yet report that one-year Ubuntu user Jane Leary in Corpus Christi was able to root a RHEL system with all security patches installed: the process is involved but includes entering a "password" that one knows into a "login" prompt. Redhat has not yet replied to this incident.
STOP THE PRESSES: people who have lost all sense of actually owning the things they buy and are used to being prisioners in their little wall gardens are apparently so surprised that there are devices in which one can install whatever one likes that they have started reporting this as "1337 hackery". Some of them have posted their surprise on iTunes and on former technology-savy site /. (not to be confused with the one form the 90's).
PS: this is why most people actually buy Nexus devices: not specifically by their specs, simply because the concep of having to go out of their way to install stuff on something that cost them money is absurd.
c0m by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 04:09 · Score: -1

accou8ts f0r less
I'm having trouble rooting mine... by davidshewitt · 2012-11-17 06:03 · Score: 4, Funny

... due to lack of physical access. :-(
Why is this necessary? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-17 08:56 · Score: 0

You mean Android isn't open?
Got tamagotchi fever much?
New moderation by Daetrin · 2012-11-17 10:10 · Score: 1

I believe for this article we need a new "+1 Not Redundant" moderation. Because going through and marking every post where someone felt compelled to ask "Well duh! WTH editors?" would be rather tedious, not to mention somewhat unkind since it is a very fair question.

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This Space Intentionally Left Blank
nexus 10 teardown by SternisheFan · 2012-11-17 21:51 · Score: 1

nexus 10 teardown http://www.slashgear.com/nexus-10-gets-complete-teardown-17257489/