Repurposing a Blackberry Playbook

I’ll keep this post short for now. but basically, I soft bricked a Playbook by factory resetting it without knowing that the OOBE called home to BB servers to grab the EULA to agree to get through the OOBE.

I kept it in hopes that one day someone would figure out a way past it. Then I found this YT video by someone who runs the channel Gold Screw.

I used an old Windows 7 laptop from wayback, good enough to do the needful:

1. Download and install Blackberry Desktop Software. (just need to check off Device Drivers)
2. Download Darcy’s Blackberry Tools
3. BlackBerry 10.0.4.197 Alpha for BlackBerry Playbook

Then:

1. Open DBBT
2. pick Build Autoloader
3. fill field one with 10.0.4.197 File (the Desktop one)
4. enter something into the New Autoloader Name field.
5. Click build it.
6. run the new exe from a cmd prompt.
7. Plug in BB Playbook to PC via USB cable. (it should automatically detect and write the 10.0.4.197 OS build onto the Playbook)
8. reboot the playybook.
9. in the new OOBE go back n forth pressing skip as fast as possible, eventually it gets past both the EULA and the User ID part.

To my amazement it worked! Then he has follow up video on how to install the apps.

I wasn’t keen on having to use an old copy of chrome, but I can def understand as to the version you know something works. You can watch his video on how to accomplish that after you saved your BB Playbook from the trash.

Here’s the whole list of apps.