RIM sensibly patches PlayBook exploit, steps carefully concerning root
Not long after we reported that the BlackBerry PlayBook had been rooted, RIM announced that it would be patching the flaw in short order. Today, the company released the promised update, which among other things like improving Flash compatibility, closes the hole used by the DingleBerry program.
While this is not a surprise, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the different positions Amazon and RIM took on pushing out updates. In case you missed it, earlier this month Amazon rolled out an update very similar to this one that blocked rooting and broke root on the Kindle Fire. The main difference is that Amazon made the update automatic and mandatory, giving the users no choice in the matter.
In this case, I really have to commend RIM for the way it handled the situation since users got to choose whether they wanted to install the update. Security conscious users could get the patch easily enough, but those who wanted to root their devices had the option to pass on the update. This is much better than Amazon's "update them and take away root whether they want it or not" philosophy.
Giving the users choice shouldn't be rare enough to make the news, but in light of Amazon's recent actions I wanted to point this out. Currently, it looks like if you want a tablet that you can tweak and make your own, you should pass up the Kindle Fire and consider the likes of the PlayBook or Nook Tablet.
[CrackBerry]
