Google Glass successfully unlocked, boots up with Ubuntu at I/O

Google I/O 2013 featured a session titled, “Voiding Your Warranty: Hacking Glass,” which was pretty much exactly what you would expect it to be. During the session, Google Glass was successfully unlocked, given root access, and then loaded up with Ubuntu.

Of course most manufacturers wouldn’t encourage people to hack into their devices, but because Google Glass is a developer device, they’re looking for all kinds of experimentation.

In order to install Ubuntu, a few steps (simplified) had to be taken:

• Load Glass with Launcher, Settings, and Notepad APKs
• Pair Glass to a keyboard and trackpad
• Jump into the terminal, unlock and gain root access
• Follow the normal process of installing Ubuntu
• (Load up a terminal emulator, complete Linux installer)

The definition of “hack” that Google would probably use can be found on Urban Dictionary. Check it out after the break.

To program a computer in a clever, virtuosic, and wizardly manner. Ordinary computer jockeys merely write programs; hacking is the domain of digital poets. Hacking is a subtle and arguably mystical art, equal parts wit and technical ability, that is rarely appreciated by non-hackers.

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