OK, i can't take it any longer!
what's the disadvantage to rooting?
will i be able to exchange it with verizon in the future if I need to?
is it safe? can i remove apps? de-bing it?
i'm assuming you can mess with the processor speed too?
why should I root basically? i been on the fence for a while, but I just been waiting in hopes that verizon comes thru already..
oh yea, would i be able to get 2.2? the same 2.2 that everyone else would be getting? or is it tweaked? does it lack something?
thanks to anyone how has the time to answer those questions!
Thanks!
I'm far from being experienced, but I have learned a little over the past two months reading these forums. As mentioned a few posts earlier, I have a rooted Fascinate. All your questions have basically been answered in other threads, so if you spend some time reading you can find more in depth answers than what I am about to give.
For simply rooting, and doing nothing else to your phone, except deBinging it, there is virtually no disadvantage. Technically, rooting does remove your manufacturer's warranty on the phone, however, it is a relatively simple procedure to unroot your phone with directions readily available. Look at the links included in the "all things root" sticky. For instance, my bro's phone, the screen went bad on it, we unrooted, took it back to verizon, and got a new one, no problem.
Now if you start flashing themes, roms, and kernels, you will run the risk of Borking your phone, and as the experts on her will tell you repeatedly, always read and learn before you do anything. That being said, with the SF, there is almost always a way to unbork your phone and turn it back to stock. Therefore, the risk of turning your phone into a paperweight permanently is very slim.
Yes, you can remove apps very easily with root. JT made a ROM that basically removed all the bloatware from verizon. It's called superclean. Flashing that on your phone removes Bing and bloatware among other things. You can also manually remove Bing completely yourself. Again, search the sites, or use google to search for methods.
Experts have worked on adjusting the processor, and results vary. There are kernels (i think that's right) that you can flash that will overclock your processor. I don't know enough to comment more on that. I guess you could adjust the processor yourself, but I'm assuming if you were capable of doing it yourself, you wouldn't have asked these questions. There is an app called setPCU that u can use with root, that might let you adjust your processor without downloading a kernel, but I'd read elsewhere or wait for one of the more (a lot more than myself) knowledgeable members talk more about that. My info was just something for you to think about meanwhile.
As for 2.2, not sure of what's actually out there now for the SF as far as adapting unofficial versions to be usable on the Fascinate. However, once the official version is released, the developers on this site will edit it and provide a version for us rooted users to put on our phones. Right now there is an update called DJ05 that verizon is releasing (most likely) before 2.2, which will fix GPS among other things (read prior posts in this thread). Worse comes to worse, you could always completely unroot and then install 2.2 after verizon releases it, but once you realize what rooting allows you to do, i doubt you will go back.
Basically, rooting allows you to do anything that you want to do to your phone, that verizon and samsung prevent you from doing. Keep reading the forums to find out many cool things you prob might not think of to do to your phone.