Lenovo ThinkPad tablet rooted…finally!

When Lenovo launched their tablet line-up, the ThinkPad tablet was a bit of an odd cookie, since it wasn’t designed for the average joe. Instead, it was targeted at business professionals and the enterprise segment. However, rooting the device seemed like an impossible task, until Dan Rosenberg finally figured out a way to root the device. The reason this took so long was primarily due to the fact that it was developed for the enterprise segment, so the added security actually proves that Lenovo did a pretty good job with it. Another reason why it was so difficult to root was due to the Netflix integration, one of the first Android tablets to have this. Netflix is in the business of digital video distribution, so it’s important that the device is not hackable.

The rooting procedure only works on Windows PCs at the moment. To get started, you’ll need the Android DK or the ADB drivers installed and make sure your device is in debugging mode. Then it’s a matter of downloading the necessary exploit and following a bunch of onscreen instructions. You can read the step by step procedure here. Now, that you’ve rooted the tablet, you might want to go a bit further and install a custom recovery mode, like ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM), so you can install custom firmwares. You can follow the instructions here and post any queries if you have.

Rooting the tablet will let you install custom ROMs and you can even compile your own custom version of Honeycomb, if you’re feeling adventurous. Only proceed with this if you actually need to or want to install custom ROMs.