HTC EVO 4G Already Rooted

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Google is known for giving away Android phones at conferences (they’ve given away Motorola Droids and Nexus Ones in the past) and as we previously covered, those who attended the Google I/O conference last we were given a HTC EVO 4G before the commercial release. Many of them popped up on eBay, and now, an industrious hacker turned startup founder has already gained root access to the powerful smart phone before it’s even out. Is this some kind of record?

Enter Mr. Matt Mastracci, a self-described former mobile hacker and currently the founder of DotSpots, a blogging-related startup. Mastracci attended Google I/O and went home with a HTC EVO 4G. He chatted with a few of his former hacking pals, and it took their three-man team “a few hours” to gain root access to the next Android superphone.

Here’s what Mr. Mastracci wrote, regarding his root attempt:

I ended up with a Sprint HTC EVO 4G after Google I/O. It’s a pretty fantastic phone, even though it’s something of a kitchen sink. By a happy coincidence, I ended up reconnecting with some of my buddies from the old mobile hacking days who were looking to root it. With a few hours effort and a three person team (credit to ozzeh and Joshua Wise!), we managed to get the standard su tool installed.

Unfortunately for those who wish to follow in Mr. Mastracci’s footsteps, he and his small team aren’t releasing details of how they did it. The other recent Android superphone, the HTC Droid Incredible, has been particularly tough for users to root, and unfortunately, Mastracci writes that the exploit that gained him root access on the HTC EVO 4G doesn’t apply to the Incredible.

All in all, 11 days until the HTC EVO 4G is commercially released. I believe this is a record for this sort of thing.