Help NEW USER: trying to figure out the lingo

[Carl Gilroy]

I just purchased an Incredible. I really love it a lot, but I have a few questions if someone could clear them up for me.

1. There are a bunch of pre-loaded apps on my phone (Facebook, twitter, stocks, my verizon) and they are always running in the background according to my task killer app. I want to get rid of them, and I have read that you cannot unless you "root" your phone. What exactly does rooting do? I know that it can permanently mess up your phone, so, is it worth it? Do you think that htc will update android to enable you to delete these pre-loaded apps?

2. Is there a way to get more widgets for your phone?

3. I have updated to 2.2 before I even really knew what it was. People seem to be having trouble with it, but my phone seems to be working fine. Should I restore the factory settings just in case? I don't really have that much to back up.

Thanks for your time. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[gallandof]

I just purchased an Incredible. I really love it a lot, but I have a few questions if someone could clear them up for me.

1. There are a bunch of pre-loaded apps on my phone (Facebook, twitter, stocks, my verizon) and they are always running in the background according to my task killer app. I want to get rid of them, and I have read that you cannot unless you "root" your phone. What exactly does rooting do? I know that it can permanently mess up your phone, so, is it worth it? Do you think that htc will update android to enable you to delete these pre-loaded apps?

You can not delete them through the phone itself without root access, with an App like launcher pro you can hide them from the main app tray if you want. Also I personally dont recommend advance task killer since as you noticed the apps just load back up if you kill them, so after killing them the system is opening them up using more battery than if they are just sitting doing nothing.

2. Is there a way to get more widgets for your phone?

There are tons of different apps and widgets you can download from the market place, My personal favoirtes are Beautiful widgets, Battery life (by curvefish) and my handcent SMS widget. a lot of apps also come with widgets as well.

3. I have updated to 2.2 before I even really knew what it was. People seem to be having trouble with it, but my phone seems to be working fine. Should I restore the factory settings just in case? I don't really have that much to back up.

If your phone isnt having issue's you do not want to go back, I find 2.2 helps tons if you arent having any issues.




If you are interested in learning more about root and such I highly recomend spending some time in the all things root forum, they will have explanations of the benefits, downsides, how to's and other useful stuff. Dont just do it for 1 small thing read as much as you can about Root first to see if you will really benefit from it.

 

[dmiller2007]

Touching on question number 3, your phone might seem to be operating fine but a factory reset after the ota won't hurt. Might as well do it if you don't have much to put back on it.

 

[Terabethia]

1. There are a bunch of pre-loaded apps on my phone (Facebook, twitter, stocks, my verizon) and they are always running in the background according to my task killer app. I want to get rid of them, and I have read that you cannot unless you "root" your phone. What exactly does rooting do? I know that it can permanently mess up your phone, so, is it worth it? Do you think that htc will update android to enable you to delete these pre-loaded apps?

Don't use a task killer. It's a waste of time and battery life with 2.2. Verizon preloads a lot of programs (such as City ID, VZ Nav, etc) onto their phones and the only way to get rid of them is to root the phone and remove them. They are not actually running by the way, they are considered inactive applications. Just ignore them.

No, they will never allow you to remove them. Verizon wants them there and that's that. They have the final say in any firmware releases.

If you have to ask "what is root?"... please DO NOT attempt to root your phone. Rooting means hacking the phone. If you are familiar with Apple, they refer to it as jailbreaking. If you don't know what you are doing, you can (and probably will) brick your phone. And once it's rooted, your warranty is voided.


2. Is there a way to get more widgets for your phone?

There are hundreds of widgets in the market. Are you looking for something specific?

3. I have updated to 2.2 before I even really knew what it was. People seem to be having trouble with it, but my phone seems to be working fine. Should I restore the factory settings just in case? I don't really have that much to back up.

If your phone is working just fine, don't bother. But if things start getting wonky, factory reset.

Responses in blue

 

[Carl Gilroy]

Thanks everyone for responding. Definitely helped me.

What do you think about rooting it after a year when the warranty expires?

 

[Pretkomel]

Thanks everyone for responding. Definitely helped me.

What do you think about rooting it after a year when the warranty expires?

Go for it is you want to. Just do not brick your phone.

 

[Deleted User]

Thanks everyone for responding. Definitely helped me.

What do you think about rooting it after a year when the warranty expires?

Rooting voids your warranty right away. If the warranty has also expired go for it. But if you are still under contract, you will have to file a claim for a replacement or buy at retail.

Don't forget about hitting the THANKS button. People like that!

 

[Terabethia]

Thanks everyone for responding. Definitely helped me.

What do you think about rooting it after a year when the warranty expires?

If in a year you have educated yourself enough about the phone and rooting, go for it.

Hell, if you can figure it out next week then go for it.

All I am saying is that you shouldn't be messing with your phone if you don't know what you are doing. Rooting is not very easy and if something goes wrong, it's completely on you to fix it (as your warranty is now voided).

And if you actually brick the phone, there isn't anything you can do to recover it.

 

[NightAngel79]

Sending this to the support section