14 DAY TRIAL // Nexus S, the first smartphone in the world to land on shelves with Google's new Android 2.3 Gingerbread
operating system version, has been rooted, only a few days after it became available for purchase in the United States.
The fact that it was rooted does not come as a surprise for many people out there, given the fact that Nexus S was designed so as to offer fast access to its root.
Apparently, Google and Samsung designed the Nexus S with a user-unlockable bootloader straight from the start, the same as Nexus One before it was designed with.
The fact that Nexus S was rooted offers access to the file system on the mobile phone, which enables users to install the apps and firmware they like, or remove certain applications already present on the device.
The root access on Nexus S was achieved by the guys over at XDA-Developers, who described the process here:
First, reboot into your bootloader/fastboot mode. (Volume + Power Up, or adb reboot bootloader)
fastboot oem unlock
Then, install this recovery.
fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-herring.img
Then boot into Clockwork recovery and install the Superuser zip file (adb reboot recovery, or from fastboot choose recovery).
At this point, the Nexus S is already rooted. Provided that there are some of you who would like to move even further, and would like to install a rooted/insecure boot image, here's what they would have to do, according to the aforementioned forum post:
To install a rooted/insecure boot image (adb has root, this is optional, the above steps already got you root)
fastboot flash boot rootboot.img
ROM Manager support is expected to arrive pretty soon too, the said forum post reads.
We should warn those early Nexus S adopters that rooting their devices would void warranty, and that, although the process is said to be a safe one, the results might not be those expected at all times.
When it comes to development, rooting an Android phone proves a great idea, but it might not be recommended at all times for end-users.