At face value, the HTC G2 for T-Mobile seemed no harder for the Android modding community to crack into than any of the handsets that came before it. Once the hackers really had a chance to tear into it, however, something strange started happening: it… repaired itself. Hacks could be made, but they’d disappear as soon as the handset was reset.
Understandably, these temporary hacks just weren’t enough for some folks. Though much of the hardware hacking community is already attacking the issue full force, a group of users have come together to speed up the process with the oldest trick in the book: by throwing money at it.
A dozen-or-so users from the XDA-Dev forum (notorious for being the hot bed of mobile hacking talent) have started pooling up their cash for a “bounty” of sorts. The first person (or group of people) who can knock out the G2’s protection system and provide the community with a root access hack that is permanent, complete, and user-friendly walks away with a heavier wallet along with the standard adoration of their peers.
As of right now, the bounty is up at $631 bucks. About $400 of that has actually been sent in, while the rest is all just verbal pledges. Sure, it’s not yacht money — but walking away with bit o’ cash is always nicer than leaving with nothin’ more than a thank you note.