It's on the Playbook, and will be on the BB10 phones.

http://peterhansen.ca/blog/category/PlayBook.html

It is a privilege escalation to a 'root' user, which in this context is equivalent to an 'admin' user.

In short, using an insecure backup/restore process, it changes the ability for root to login via ssh. No bootloader access, no 'jailbreak'. From there, all you get is what you could have done by developing an app.

As you could always load an app directly onto your Playbook, this is not all that impressive.

I have come to expect it from Crackberry, but though /. would have a critical eye.

Remember this is QNX. This is a privilege escalation above the default 'devuser'. I still see nothing that indicates that the bootloader or anything of importance was 'rooted' in the same sense as an Android 'root' or and iPhone 'jailbreak'.

This is based on analysts guesses. Samsung didn't release any numbers.

The initial list of apps is up at http://crackberry.com/research-motion-offers-free-premium-apps-customers-following-service-interruptions

Of course it is a problem. But it is not the end of the world. They have laid out a transition to QNX-based phones, and in the middle of than transition right now. Did they make mistakes last year with the pre-7 phones (underpowered, stagnant interface)? Yes they did, and this is a major part of their drop in overall market share.

This does not seem unrecoverable to me though.

The market has grown. Subscribers are actually up, as well phone sales.

Abandoned is a bit melodramatic. But how about Apple? Or Unix? Or Nintendo?

RIM has a bad quarter, and the glee at which people post its demise is amusing. Look at the actual financials, their assets, and the market share. Adjust for an expanded market and you get less of a 'doom and gloom' picture.

And the Playbook is a fine piece of kit - and will only get better when the NDK is released. Could it have more apps? Yes. Is there anything wrong with the device itself. No.

A week away from the RIM earning call, and you are spouting about the ability of the iPhone to use flash.

I swear the lot of you are barely classified as functionally retarded, and don't realized when you are being used.

This article should have been tossed in the bin.

Twats.