Though it's only been out to developers for a few days, the "Explorer" version of Google Glass has been "rooted", essentially giving hackers full access to what the Android-based gadget has to offer.
Well-known hacker Jay "Saurik" Freeman was one of the first to remove any restrictions Google placed on Glass (which sounds like very little). It was a similar process to what is done with Android phones as they enter the mass market, in turn, letting customers upload custom software to tweak the gadget to personal satisfaction.
“It took me two hours while I was having dinner with friends at the time,” Freeman told Forbes. “The implementation from B1nary is for normal Android tablets and phones, I learned how it worked and then did the same thing on Glass…which was quite simple.”
Interestingly, Google employee Dan Morrill says Google intentionally left the system open for developers, sticking with the typical nature of the Mountain View-based company. "Not to bring anybody down… but seriously… we intentionally left the device unlocked so you guys could hack it and do crazy fun sh*t with it. I mean, FFS, you paid $1500 for it… go to town on it. Show me something cool."
Another hacker by the name of Liam McLoughlin also gained full access to the software, calling it easier than people may have originally thought. Since the full-access is so new, developers have yet to release any crazy apps or tweaks for Glass. We can only imagine those aren't too far off though.
In related Glass news, the Explorer edition of Glass was found to be running Android 4.0.4, which allowed Freeman, McLoughlin, and others to gain access with the same root Android development tools used on phones and tablets. Additionally, hackers found that Glass is running a dual-core OMAP 4430 SoC from Texas Instruments at an unknown speed and 682MB of available RAM.
Google has already revealed Glass also has 16GB of flash memory, a 5MP camera, a "high resolution display," 802.11g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an all-day battery.
Is there any specific software you'd like to see on Glass before it launches to the masses in 2014?
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