Let’s be honest: the Motorola MOTOACTV doesn’t have a whole lot of applications outside of the sports and fitness world. At least, it didn’t until now: one ambitious Android modder has managed to root the tiny touchscreen watch and install third-party apps, making full access to Android possible. The dream of a Dick Tracy watch is within our grasp!
After reading through Linux junkie Chris Wade’s guided tour and teardown of Motorola’s wearable device, it’s kind of surprising that no one’s managed this before. The root process should be fairly ordinary to Android modders: start the watch in bootloader mode, flash a new boot image, then run the popular SuperOneClick root method. Apparently the MOTOACTV’s software is similar enough to other phones to be compatible.
Check out the results in action below:
Wade managed to flash CyanogenMod’s Google apps and a custom launcher via ADB, making the watch behave very much like a tiny Android smartphone. A 600Mhz processor and 256Mb of RAM is more than enough to run Gingerbread, if not especially fast. He used the look-alike Honeycomb launcher and a few other obligatory apps like Angry Birds to test out the system, apparently with some really cool results. The device’s 1.6inch screen, Bluetooth-only connectivity and $249.99 price tag still make it a little inconvenient as a secondary Android gadget, but there’s no denying that the results are cool. Check out our hands-on coverage for more info.
For a wearable Android device that’s open from the get-go, be sure to investigate the WIMM One developer watch.
[device id=1743]
[via Engadget]
So ….when will these start appearing on ebay:)
I wish there was an option to switch easily between stock interface and root interface. I can’t decide weather to root or not because I would not be able to use it as a fitness tracker anymore.
You actually can…
i loaded the “go launcher” for standard android interface, and made that the default launcher. but i added the motorola launcher to my desktop so that once i turn the screen on i can access the fitness apps easily
The connectivity is bluetooth and wifi. MINE at least has wifi–can’t speak to yours.
it has fm radio, theres a mistake on specs