So let me get this straight: A) Every phone has bloatware, from both Verizon (or whatever provider) and the manufacturer. B) The only way to get rid of this bloatware is to
A. There have been a few mostly vanilla Android phones though most everything seems to be moving towards having bloatware. B. To get rid of the bloatware would require both "Root" access and either deleting of the offending APK's or freezing them using a backup program like Titanium. C. Rooting carries a risk of invalidating your warranty if you return the phone rooted and the carrier discovers this. If, on the other hand, you restore the phone before returning it then it becomes much more difficult for them to figure out. D. If you root your phone and remove the offending bloatware then it's more likely that you'll not receive the OTA update. If, on the other hand, you restore the bloatware and unroot before downloading the update, then it's more likely that the OTA update will succeed.
It's difficult to brick your phone In the case of my Hero, it's CDMA. If by some chance I flashed a GSM Hero rom, It WILL brick the phone. So, just pay attention to what you are flashing and it will be pretty darn difficult to brick the phone. Just make sure you do nandroids, it just may save you one day
Bricking is difficult and a lot of n00bs have diluted its meaning. In many cases, a device described as bricked isn't actually bricked. As stated above, you can unroot before making a warranty claim. It's a software change, not some sort of permanent change.
I rooted my phone using universal androot. worked like a charm and it didn't unlock the bootloader so no voided warranty, I just restore an old backup before I send my phone off. Universal Androot ~ Android Application v1.0.1 By Raziel23x | Tools Make sure you check your phones compatible. Then if your careful about what you remove and read up on the forums first you can use titanium backup to remove or freeze unwanted apps.
