> Will I be able to use it without creating an account with the company?
I _think_ so. I created one, and am not willing to wipe my device to see if it's required. I _have_ used mine for months without connecting it to the network, so it's certainly not required on a regular basis.
> Will I be able to use it if the company fails?
Yes.
The "Connect" service is nice and all, but really the big that that it provides is an easy way to sync files to and from the device. That's not required; you can just use USB to transfer if you want.
> Will I be able to install third party firmware and software?
Yes.
There are active F/OSS projects out there for the rM2, including custom bootloaders, OS forks, and applications.
