Poor Android, stuck in jail. If only he had root access...
The T-Mobile G1 is just the tip of the open-source spear that’s ready to pierce the mobile industry’s heart. Android OS, the open-source Google mobile platform, would be the spear itself.
In a mobile ecosystem filled with proprietary technology and closed platforms, the Android OS represents a breath of fresh air in the mass consumer market. But, as an open-source advocate or developer, how do you come to terms with using a handset that’s powered by an open platform like Android and offers almost unfettered access to third-party application while at the same time locking you out of its file-system? The iPhone, for example, has been hacked to gain access to the file-system, allowing for third-party application installations – the “jailbreak,” if you will.
By jailbreaking a device, you free it’s file-system from lock-down, allowing you to add applications and fiddle with your mobile phone as you see fit.
Worry not, T-Mobile G1 and Android OS fans, the intrepid developers over at XDA Developers have found a way to jailbreak the Android OS. The jailbreak allows developers to gain root access of the Android file system.
Here’s how you gain root access on Android OS:
- Turn on WiFi
- Get PTerminal from the Android Market
- Fire up PTerminal
- Type “cd system” and hit Enter
- Type “cd bin” and hit Enter
- “Type “telnetd” and hit Enter
- Type “netstat” and hit Enter
- This will display your device’s IP address
- Now you can telnet into your device’s root using the IP address you just wrote down
Keep in mind, a future Android OS update may likely come along and break this jailbreak method.
[Via: TalkAndroid]