14 DAY TRIAL // Although it was not brought to shelves as of yet, the Android 2.2 Froyo-based Motorola ATRIX 4G smartphone for AT&T was already rooted. The smartphone should become available for purchase as soon as tomorrow, February 22nd, with pre-ordered units set to arrive in users' hands on February 21st.
At the moment, the root access on Motorola ATRIX 4G does not do much, but it should offer users the possibility to customize the device, remove bloatware, and the like as soon as the first units arrive.
ATRIX 4G owners will receive full control on their mobile phones right from day one, and should also be able to sideload applications on their handsets, use various tools, and do more.
What should be noted here is that gaining root access on ATRIX 4G also uncovered the fact that Motorola has signed the bootloader on this smartphone.
As always, rooting a mobile phone would void warranty, so those who will try to do so would be the only ones held responsible in case something goes wrong.
The handset was rooted thanks to AT&T developer DesignGears and Getaphixx, BriefMobile notes in a recent article.
The news site also offers full instructions on how one could root the smartphone.
The process involves installing a series of drivers and prerequisites, along with the downloading of CLShortFuse’s Super One Click. After that, users would need to do the following:
Extract the Super One Click package to a folder on your computer Place your phone into USB Debugging mode Menu >> Settings >> Applications >> Development >> Enable “USB debugging” Connect the device to your computer via USB cable Do NOT mount your device’s SD card Run the Super One Click program Simply click the “Root” button in Super One Click Before rebooting, click “Allow Non Market Apps” Reboot your device
More info on the process can be found here. As stated above, those interested in rooting the ATRIX 4G will do so at their own risk, and they should make sure they've read all of the necessary instructions before making the move.