OpeniBoot set to unleash Android on your iPad and iPhone 4 [video]

By chrisoldroyd
last updated

<

p style="text-align: left;">

Want to run Android on your iPhone 4 or iPad? Well hot on the heels of the release of OpeniBoot based Bootlace which enables you to run Android on an iPhone 2G, 3G and first generation iPod touch, comes this little gem of information. OpeniBoot will soon be available for the iPhone 4 and more appealing, the iPad. OpeniBoot is an open source implementation of iBoot bootloader for Apple iOS based devices. It allows booting of unsigned code such as Linux kernels on the device.

The video above shows the early stages of the hack running on an iPad and demonstrates that it should be possible. No word on when this may become available, but it looks like it is not going to be too far off. As with all of these hacks, you will need to jailbreak your device.

Take a look at the video after the break and let us know, would you like to do this? Would it not be a backward step from the safe and stable iOS? Let us know in the comments.

[Redmond Pie]

chrisoldroyd
chrisoldroyd

UK editor at iMore, mobile technology lover and air conditioning design engineer.

23 Comments
  • What about the iPod touch 4G?
  • NN!
  • Android on an Apple device? This is like taking a Ferrari and replacing the engine with one from a Kia.
  • @CJ: thats fanboy talk. I have a device that can potentially run an OS other than what is installed on it currently AND I am enough of a geek and a tinkerer that I feel safe doing it, so I am going to install and try it out when it's available.
  • What about 3GS support? pffft :(
  • This is VERY far off! This is barely a mere step in the whole process. The hardware for the iPhone 4 is different, therefore the various android builds will have to be rewritten.
    The iPad is said to have similar hardware to the 3GS tho. So we will see.
  • unless this adds more functionality, ill stick to ios, and leave android on the ole 2g
  • I'd rather see iOS 4.2 on a galaxy tab instead
  • Oh cool. Maybe i'll finally be able to run flash on my iown now.
  • And ruin a perfectly good device? No thanks
  • So android can run smooth and w/o incredible lag for once. Yayy!
  • @Brian
    That's exactly my point!
    @Rob
    I got a box of tissues for you, son.
  • Id love a dual boot...
  • do you have android i bet not. iphone and android has barley lag so plz stop thinking ios is the best.
  • I have an android phone, and, as much as I enjoy the OS, the lag really is unbearable. Until I got a new iPod touch, I just dealt with it. Now I've shifted all my PDA and entertainment tasks to the iPod and the phone is...a phone. I'm fully aware that there are fast and shiny android phones out there, but the fact is I don't have one, and am highly interested in seeing Froyo running on a fast-as-crack Apple device. So, really, let's kick this proof of concept party into high gear! Good luck and congrats to the coders, I'll be watching with interest!
  • I have a nexus one running android 2.2.1, i can honestly say that there is NO lag at all. its so fast its unbelievable.. ppl with an iphone would be so lucky to have android
  • bs expert.
    a coworker with his nexus one always tries to show me how cool his device is but when i try to swipe on the home screen its about as smooth as sandpaper.
    The only droid ive ever seen that isnt god awful is the captivate. Until the response time / shuddering / or whatever it is is fixed ill never own a droid.
  • The fanboys kill me with their bs. Give it a break. My girl has a iPhone 4, I have a iPad and two iPod Touches along with a HTC EVO. The response time is about the same for each, minute differences that no one should care about. I've also experienced lag on all and seen the Apple devices stutter or get stuck for a second or two trying to open up a app. Get over yourselves and the dumb fanboy crap
  • I'm really looking forward to this if it does get to the usable point. I enjoy running multiple OSs on my phones and on my computers. Part of the fun is just getting it to work, and tweaking each OS to my own liking. I have a htc touch pro 2 from vzw wm6.5.3 and xdandroid 2.2 it works very well and for the most part faster than windows mobile ever ran on the device. I would like to see android running on the iPhone 4 using it's full hardware capacity.
  • @Ericshmidt ya fanboys on the tipb site imagine that. Duh. On topic: the android os is far from smooth. Google themselves said it's not ready for tablets. But these moron companies put the choppy os on the devices anyway. I had a evo for two weeks. I had a better experience on my old lg flip.
  • @Dan
    That's the funny thing and the exact proof that people should just shut up.
    I've seen other people claim their Galaxy S phone is slow and laggy. Then I see people say their Aria works flawlessly.
    I've used my roommates iPhone 4 (and my own iPod) and experience lag on the latter A LOT while the former has a lag every once in awhile.
    My Nexus One works smoothly, I never have a problem with it. But then again...I'm normally lucky with phones soooo...yeah.
  • @EricSchmidt
    No, there's a difference between fanboys and pure idiots who blindly support a company that doesn't care about them.
    They have em on every side, because I've seen some delusional people on Android side also.
    And lets not get started on the Blackberry crowd still trying to believe their phones are still neck and neck with current devices from the Android and iOS camp. Sheesh.
  • I would rather see zune software ported so then I can have unlimited music on my iphone too