XDA Developers' Android Hacker's Toolkit

Chapter 9: HTC ThunderBolt: A Tightly Locked Device

In this chapter:

• Information about the HTC ThunderBolt

• Rooting the HTC ThunderBolt

The HTC ThunderBolt was introduced to the Verizon LTE (4G) network as a 1 GHz Android device with 768 MB of internal memory. It was one of the first generation of devices to offer 4G speeds on the Verizon network.

The ThunderBolt was also one of the more locked-down HTC devices with multiple levels of security checks and encryption. The locked-down nature of the ThunderBolt was intended to keep the device well within the control of the OEM and carriers. However, the ThunderBolt was freed by a combination of the proven psneuter exploit and some new magic in the form of a downgrade firmware that could be rooted.

I have chosen to walk through rooting the ThunderBolt because it is one of the root processes that makes you feel very much as if you are hacking. The reality is that all of the hard work has been done by the developers, such as Scott Walker and Team AndIRC. However, using the exploit and skills you learned in Chapter 3, you will quickly realize you are doing real device hacking.

When released, the device was rumored to be “unbreakable”. The hacker community made short work of it anyway. The ThunderBolt went very quickly from being one of the most locked-down Android devices to joining the ranks of completely free Android devices. The walkthrough in this chapter examines each step of the process.

Root Methods Available

Most of the root ...