Why would you Root your phone?

[Baggy]

What the advantages and disadvantages

 

[Anthony1]

Apps2SD+ is the biggest major advantage for me. 80 aps installed and still 100MB free on my phone storage.

Custom roms are another big advantage. Make your phone work the way you want it to, not the way the manufacturer wanted it to.

 

[snapper.fishes]

As for me, I only rooted my phone so I can use titanium backup. Sick of losing all my game saves after a firmware update.

 

[grainysand]

Trackball wake, better optimization of hardware, 720p recording (not available for stock Nexus Ones), themes, lots of extra options and modifications to browser/contact/dialer/camera apps. The better question is: why wouldn't you root your phone?

 

[substring]

Pardon me, but isn't Froyo which is scheduled to be released this month will provide all of the above?

 

[gwlaw99]

Not all apps are designed to go to the SD card, but titanium backup can move any app to SD. Lets not forget overclocking and free wifi tethering.

 

[Demache]

You get extra functionality and customization that isn't available to you otherwise.

 

[jroc]

Some apps are for root users only. And there some very nice root only apps out there. I cant think of any disadvantages ..lol

One major advantage is Mobile Defense. If you're rooted, u can install it a certain way to make recovering your lost or stolen phone more likely to happen. (if stolen or robbed, dont try to be Chuck Norris, contact the police...lol)

http://support.mobiledefense.com/viewtopic.php?id=569

 

[EmoTonyB]

i have a moment that is pretty junky without root. the custom ROM's are damn near essential for better performance. also with older handsets root allows you to put custom OS upgrades after the official releases stop. (currently waiting on a true 2.2 ROM for moment as sprint has announced 2.1 was the last update)

and.. if your a minimilist like me as far as screen look and app drawer look you can get rid of EVERY app you dont need so it dosent take up space on your screen.

 

[Baggy]

Would 2.2. run on ZTE Racer? With its 600mhz processor

How easy is it to root a phone?

 

[jroc]

I dont know...It runs on the Droid and its processor is 550Mhz. It should tho.

Rooting is easy, it depends on the phone and the software. Some phone, software combos are easier to root than others. Rooting the Droid on 2.1 was easier than rooting it with 2.2., rooting the Inc was complicated in the beginning, etc.

I think most root methods are easier now compared to a few months ago.

 

[Baggy]

I dont know...It runs on the Droid and its processor is 550Mhz. It should tho.

Rooting is easy, it depends on the phone and the software. Some phone, software combos are easier to root than others. Rooting the Droid on 2.1 was easier than rooting it with 2.2., rooting the Inc was complicated in the beginning, etc.

I think most root methods are easier now compared to a few months ago.

Does this differ with each phone, I can't see any root DIY's for Racer that you wouldn't need to take a degree in

 

[johnlgalt]

Yes, it differs with each phone b/c of 1) Manufacturing differences, 2) Overlay differences and boot loader differences, and 3) relative new-ness of the phone.

The DROID, for example, and the N1 have been around for a while - and both were running completely stock ROMs with no overhead baggage (aka Moto Blah / HTS SenseUI). The Droid @ has not - so not many devs have gotten their hands on it to make the rooting process straightforward and easy.

Before you root, though, be sure to do a lot of reading and make sure you understand what every step is and what you an do if the process fails before you start _ I cannot stress this enough - it will save you several years on your life if you're ready in case something goes bad to start doing things to fix the phone.

Taking a brand new phone and trying to root, only to have it not boot up at ll, can be extremely harrowing - especially when you consider that it may not be replaceable under warranty if the Carrier / OEM discovers what you were doing. With a little bit of patience, though, most things that are done can be undone, and with most phones now, it is rare that you get a truly bricked phone.

Finally, in addition to all the wonderful apps and such that require root, another advantage of being rooted is that you are in more control of your phone - with root access, you can remove even system apps (like those pesky Corporate email and Amazon MP3 apps) to have a smoother experience on your phone, particularly if those apps tend to run in the background all the time even when you don't use them at all.

just to give you an idea: I rooted my DROID back in Jan sometime, and since then I have overclocked my phone 118% (take that, Intel!) to 1200 MHz, run a countless variety of ROMs, learned how to save important files and settings on my phone to carry them over to the next ROM, and gotten some really god "Ooohs!" and "Aaahs!" from folks on the dark side....

My main reason for getting the DROID (versus Eris and other Android phones) was 1) It had a virgin OS on it, without VZW putting crap on it, and without Motorola putting crap on it, and 2) When I researched it, it had the most potential of all phones that came subsidized with a contract. If I had the money, I would probably have opted for the N1, but since my service was with VZW the DROID was a no-brainer.

I then did a lot of reading on rooting the phone in December, and finally decided to do it myself in Jan - and am extremely happy I did.

 

[Howie]

I root to remove the "crapware" that Verizon preinstalls. That's really the only reason I do it. Any I fell in love with Wireless Tether For Root Users after that.

 

[A.Nonymous]

The main reason not to root is that you void your warranty on your phone and VZW or whoever won't replace it if it breaks. I rooted to avoid the 2.2 update. The fact that I can now backup all my settings in my apps is a very cool feature. I no longer have to reconfigure all my apps every time.

 

[substring]

The only possible reason for me to root the phone is to get Froyo. But since it will be available as OTA this month, I probably will not root my phone.

So what Verizon has installed a bunch of app that I don't need? They have done that on my current BlackBerry. All I have to do is to move them into a folder and forget about them. It is really no big deal.

I have no need for tethering. At home I have TimeWarner cable. On the road, my laptop has a Verizon broadband aircard. I doubt a smartphone over the 3g wireless network can provide enough bandwidth to do any serious computing anyway. And I believe more and more people are switching to the mobile tablets like the iPad and all the upcoming Android tablets for that purpose. So while tethering sounds like a good idea, it is really not that practical.

I suspect most people who root their phones are in the telecommunication industry or mobile phone industry. Such knowledge and experience might be valuable to their profession.

 

[shizzy1427]

I rooted for overclocking on my droid. now i mostly use root for themes and setcpu

 

[Rotary]

rooting is a big plus because you can always update right?

 

[Thefoodman52]

Get full on 60fps which brings silky smooth transitions and animations versus the chunk-tank way the Evo does it now...

 

[Baggy]

Yes, it differs with each phone b/c of 1) Manufacturing differences, 2) Overlay differences and boot loader differences, and 3) relative new-ness of the phone.

The DROID, for example, and the N1 have been around for a while - and both were running completely stock ROMs with no overhead baggage (aka Moto Blah / HTS SenseUI). The Droid @ has not - so not many devs have gotten their hands on it to make the rooting process straightforward and easy.

Before you root, though, be sure to do a lot of reading and make sure you understand what every step is and what you an do if the process fails before you start _ I cannot stress this enough - it will save you several years on your life if you're ready in case something goes bad to start doing things to fix the phone.

Taking a brand new phone and trying to root, only to have it not boot up at ll, can be extremely harrowing - especially when you consider that it may not be replaceable under warranty if the Carrier / OEM discovers what you were doing. With a little bit of patience, though, most things that are done can be undone, and with most phones now, it is rare that you get a truly bricked phone.

Finally, in addition to all the wonderful apps and such that require root, another advantage of being rooted is that you are in more control of your phone - with root access, you can remove even system apps (like those pesky Corporate email and Amazon MP3 apps) to have a smoother experience on your phone, particularly if those apps tend to run in the background all the time even when you don't use them at all.

just to give you an idea: I rooted my DROID back in Jan sometime, and since then I have overclocked my phone 118% (take that, Intel!) to 1200 MHz, run a countless variety of ROMs, learned how to save important files and settings on my phone to carry them over to the next ROM, and gotten some really god "Ooohs!" and "Aaahs!" from folks on the dark side....

My main reason for getting the DROID (versus Eris and other Android phones) was 1) It had a virgin OS on it, without VZW putting crap on it, and without Motorola putting crap on it, and 2) When I researched it, it had the most potential of all phones that came subsidized with a contract. If I had the money, I would probably have opted for the N1, but since my service was with VZW the DROID was a no-brainer.

I then did a lot of reading on rooting the phone in December, and finally decided to do it myself in Jan - and am extremely happy I did.

Thanks for the advice the ZTE Racer has no over lay its just vanilla just as google intended. But there seems to be no guides for this phone so I guess I'm stuck also for

 

[grainysand]

It depends on the processor. Some are more feasible to overclock than others. I don't know what chip the ZTE Racer uses exactly, but seeing that it's an entry-level budget phone, I doubt you're going to get it running at 1 GHz any time soon. Or ever. Plus, you need developer support and custom ROMs/kernels that support overclocking, and I'm not sure there is much support for a device so... well, unattractive (to modders, anyway; most go for the high-end phones to play with).

 

[Baggy]

It depends on the processor. Some are more feasible to overclock than others. I don't know what chip the ZTE Racer uses exactly, but seeing that it's an entry-level budget phone, I doubt you're going to get it running at 1 GHz any time soon. Or ever. Plus, you need developer support and custom ROMs/kernels that support overclocking, and I'm not sure there is much support for a device so... well, unattractive (to modders, anyway; most go for the high-end phones to play with).

Is there not a lot of modding for budget eee pc's and t mob pulse etc I thought the low tag would make it more likely. the prob seems to be a) its not long out b) its only on '3'. It does seem to be the one of the fastest budget phones out there.

ZTE Racer
'OS: Android 2.1
Processor: 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227
Storage: 256MB, 2GB MicroSD
Screen: 2.8-inch QVGA resistive touchscreen touchscreen
Connectivity HSDPA 7.2MBps, Wi-Fi (b/g), aGPS, 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth 2.0,
Camera: 3.2MP with autofocus
Talk time: 3.5 hours, standby of 200 hours
Dimensions: 102 x 55 x 14.5 mm
Weight: 100g (without battery)
Battery: Li-Ion 1100mAh'

 

[SoFLO]

My main reason for rooting was to break the 30 FPS cap on my EVO...now I'm getting 52. I can't believe I didn't root my phone sooner.

 

[A.Nonymous]

The only possible reason for me to root the phone is to get Froyo. But since it will be available as OTA this month, I probably will not root my phone.

So what Verizon has installed a bunch of app that I don't need? They have done that on my current BlackBerry. All I have to do is to move them into a folder and forget about them. It is really no big deal.

I have no need for tethering. At home I have TimeWarner cable. On the road, my laptop has a Verizon broadband aircard. I doubt a smartphone over the 3g wireless network can provide enough bandwidth to do any serious computing anyway. And I believe more and more people are switching to the mobile tablets like the iPad and all the upcoming Android tablets for that purpose. So while tethering sounds like a good idea, it is really not that practical.

I suspect most people who root their phones are in the telecommunication industry or mobile phone industry. Such knowledge and experience might be valuable to their profession.

Actually, when you're on the road, your broadband aircard is using the exact same 3G network that your phone is using. You would get identical bandwidth from plugging in your phone as you'd get from plugging in your broadband card assuming both are through VZW. You'd probably save money by ditching the card and having VZW turn on tethering on your phone.