Thanks for the reply. Ya if there is a work around and wouldn't require you to root than thats what i would prefer.
Here are my concerns with rooting:
1. Whether you would still get the micro/major updates that verizon would push out to the phones or if you would essentially have to go and flash a new rom once you heard of the update.
If you use the new Unrevoked to root the phone, it includes the S-OFF feature. This is what allows you to continue to be able to apply updates. So no problems there.
2. I've heard people screwing up their phones by installing custom roms. I haven't investigated it a lot but that was enough to kind of scare me away.
So don't install custom ROM's. No one says that you have to, I know I don't. Rooting your phone in and of itself just allows you have to complete "root level" access to your phone. What you choose to do with that access is up to you.
3. Vulnerability problems. I know its already happened on Iphone and i'm sure the same thing could happen on android.I know i wouldn't be installing anything that didn't come from the marketplace though. Also don't know if it opens things up so there could be more vulnerability problems too (app to app for example).
So far, nothing. Viruses on Android are extremely rare (actually, they are on the iPhone too, what you are hearing about are holes in the software). As long as you don't go download a bunch of crapapps that you don't know anything about, you'll be just fine.
4. Ability to go back to stock verizon/htc. Don't know if this is possible or not and if it is possible is it a hard procedure to go back.
Yes, it is possible. You can simply turn it back to S-ON and unroot and bam... no sign you ever did a thing.
Just trying to decide if its worth it just to give vzw an extra $20 compared to rooting or if my concerns aren't really valid.