Root almost any Android device, including AT&T or Verizon Galaxy S5, with towelroot by geohot
Sometimes things are serendipitous in the tech world. This past Friday, I received a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 to review for BetaNews. Yesterday, as part of my testing, I wanted to see how easily I could achieve root access. To my surprise, after many weeks on the market, root was still unachieved by anyone. I even learned that the xda community had raised $18,000 in pledges for whoever could achieve root for both the Verizon and AT&T variants.
Well, coincidentally or serendipitously, root access is announced today, merely one day after I began my search. Fabled internet hacker geohot, most famous for jailbreaking the iPhone, is the man to claim the $18,000 bounty. He has released a simple APK that does the work -- no ADB or computer needed. However, his discovery goes far beyond the S5 and could work with almost any Android device released before June 3, 2014.
