Even long before releasing the Glass project in public, Google imposed a number of restrictions for the prospective users for the usage of head-mounted display. Later, it created an entire list of rules and restrictions on the functionality of apps for Glass. Interestingly at its annual I/O developer conference, Google showed developers how to break those rules and hack the Glass.

In a conference session “Voiding Your Warranty: Hacking Glass”, Google encouraged developers slowly to hack their Glass. It looks like Google clearly wants developers to help explore the limits of what Glass things can do.

Google Glass is a great project, but risky as well. There are so many things that can go wrong between now and when it’s in consumer hands, and that’s the reason Google has laid down a relatively restrictive API for Glassware. For example, the API doesn’t allow developers to analyze a person’s location, videos, or photos in real time. On the other hand, Google really wants to explore the possibilities with Glassware, and that’s why it is encouraging developers to conduct hacking experiments.

When the first independent developer recently found a way to jailbreak the device to run custom applications, causing a hubbub, Google staff shot back on Twitter: “Yes, Glass is hackable. Duh.” Basically, Google understands that Glassware is hackable and lots of people would already be working on it to create apps. For example, one developer has already used facial-recognition technology with Glass to build an app for doctors that calls up a patient’s files. Another allows wearers to take a picture with a wink, making photography less obvious than the Google setup of having wearers speak to the device.

So, the idea is why not to encourage hacking and get to know what’s up.

Besides, Google is also working directly with some renowned developers, including the mobile-only social network Path and the New York Times, which created an app that displays the latest breaking news headlines to Glass wearers inside the device’s small head-mounted display. Apparently, Mark Zuckerberg is impressed with the hardware; maybe we’ll see a Facebook app as well.

Another thing is that Google is not allowing developers to charge for apps or show advertisements for now, but that probably won’t be true forever. So, if Glassware does become a business, Google’s own venture capital division, Google Ventures, is likely to benefit. The Glass-maker recently joined with two other top-tier venture firms, Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, to launch the Glass Collective, an investment syndicate that is sharing opportunities to provide seed funding to Glass startups.

So, the success depends upon Google Glass itself. Though features would certainly entice most developers and users, price may be a concern for some.

And yeah, coming back to hacking Glass…here we got 5 simple steps to get root access to the Glassware:

Turn on Bluetooth, pair an external keyboard, open a terminal window, and type five commands in ADB, or Android Debug Bridge. Remember, Glass is just Android underneath.

1. adb reboot bootloader: (Allows you to access the bootloader)
2. fastboot oem unlock: (Removes security precautions, erases user data, and … voids your warranty.)
3. fastboot flash boot boot.img: (Replaces the boot image)
4. fastboot reboot: (Reboots back into a normal state)
5. adb root: (Finally, you have root access and access to all the data partitions)