So here we are, two days after the release of Sprint's newest dual-core WiMax device, the Motorola Photon 4G, and a clever dev by the name of edgan over at the XDA forums has already found a way to gain root access to the device. I must warn you, however, the process doesn't appear to be the easiest thing I've ever seen.

Before we get started with the full instructions, there is a list of must-have items in order to make this work:

  • HD Docking Station
  • USB Mouse
  • USB Keyboard
  • HDMI Cable (for HD docking station)
  • WiFi

Got it? Okay, here are the instructions, straight from XDA:

Steps:
1. Instal SSHDroid from the Market
2. Open SSHDroid, and make sure it is listening on port 2222
2. Connect Photon to HD Station
3. Connect keyboard and mouse to HD Station
4. Connect HDMI to HD Station and TV/Monitor
5. Turn TV/Monitor on
6. Change TV/Monitor input to HDMI
7. Open Firefox in webtop
8. Download http://higgs.cygnusx-1.org/~edgan/Superuser.apk and save to /mnt/sdcard/download
9. Download http://higgs.cygnusx-1.org/~edgan/su and save to /mnt/sdcard/download
8. Go to http://higgs.cygnusx-1.org/~edgan/pulse.tar
9. Open it instead of saving
10. Extract pulse.tar to /var/tmp
11. Connect to phone via ssh at ip address mentioned in SSHDroid and port 2222
12. Type /var/tmp/pulse/pa_race
13. Type /system/bin/pm install /mnt/sdcard/download/Superuser.apk
14. Type mount -o remount,rw /system
15. Type cp /mnt/sdcard/download/su /system/bin
16. Type chmod 4775 /system/bin/su
17. Type mount -o remount,ro /system

If this seems like it may just be a bit too much for you to handle, I would recommend waiting a few days. If there's one thing I've learned being in the Android community, it's that an easier way is always possible.

If you do decide to give it a go, you can always hit up the source thread over at XDA if you hit any snags along the way.

Good luck!

[Thanks, @Beknatok!]