Head spinning... rooting, flashing, modifying... What?

[KDOG]

So if its not plainly obvious, I am *completely* new to the Android world. I bought a Cruz T105 tablet last nite and returned it this afternoon cuz it sucks. LOL. Slow, NOT upgradeable, no support for Flash, stuck with the Android 2.0 (can't go to another version). But could I? Whats this "rooting" I've heard about? Is it basically hacking the device to install a higher version of Android, etc? I'm drooling in anticipation of a upgradeable Android device. Is there a list of definitions for all these terms? I know lots of questions!

 

[lunatic59]

Rooting is gaining administrative access to the entire file system allowing you to modify any portion of the OS.

Flashing usually refers to a ROM, which is an installation of the Android OS that has been modified in some form or fashion. It is generally done to either upgrade a device that does not have the upgrade available from the mfg. or carrier, or to fundamentally change the way the OS is set-up.

While there are utilities to make this simpler, you do any of that at your own risk.

 

[davidnmegan6907]

So if its not plainly obvious, I am *completely* new to the Android world. I bought a Cruz T105 tablet last nite and returned it this afternoon cuz it sucks. LOL. Slow, NOT upgradeable, no support for Flash, stuck with the Android 2.0 (can't go to another version). But could I? Whats this "rooting" I've heard about? Is it basically hacking the device to install a higher version of Android, etc? I'm drooling in anticipation of a upgradeable Android device. Is there a list of definitions for all these terms? I know lots of questions!

I'm sure you can root it but to flash different roms or kernels you would check the tablets section to see if there any devs that are making roms or kernels for the device.

 

[takeshi]

Is there a list of definitions for all these terms? I know lots of questions!

I don't recall if there are FAQ's for these but there is a search feature and you can always Google. Definitely check out the rooting/modding subforums. These are very frequently asked questions so at least take a look at the threads with the same questions.