I have never owned a smart phone before the HTC Evo looks very sexy and is calling me. However, if I am going to jump on board to a smart phone then I have a few questions regarding the hacking of the device. Rooting looks very promising but I would simply like more details before I go all the way. If you could please go into the detail with your answers I would greatly appreciate it. A simply "yes" or "no" does really help me much.
1) What is 'root'ing a device. I have read a few how-to articles and seen a few videos but how would you describe it? I know what Jailbreaking is on the iPhone so I would assume it is very similar to that.
2) What are the benefits to rooting the HTC Evo?
I know there is WiFi /USB tethering but I was wondering what else is possible?
3) If I root the Evo will I (can I) still be able to receive over the air updates?
4) Will Sprint be able to tell I have a rooted device? (Aside from increased data usage)
5) Is the entire process of rooting the Evo reversible?
Ex. After rooting and installing a custom ROM can I go back to the original everything?
6) Obvious that as more time elapses better and more simpler means to root will be available, but at this very moment what do you recommend as the best tutorial to rooting an HTC Evo?
7) Probably my biggest concern with the device is OS fragmentation, more specifically I am afraid Sprint and HTC wont support the Evo once they push out Android 2.2. Obviously Google is hard pressed on out-featuring Apple and their new iOS4 so most likely we will see a 2.3 or other by years end or early next year. Is rooting the Evo and manually installing a custom ROM with newer versions of Android possible? Are their any drawbacks, such as incompatibility?
8) I personally really like HTC's Sense UI and if I rooted the device and then installed a custom ROM with FroYo (or other later Android version) will I lose the Sense UI? If I do lose the Sense UI by installing a custom ROM is it possible to get it back?
9) If I root will I be able to display more with the HDMI out? Currently the Evo can only output Gallery in 720p but I was hoping to do more such as the browser, apps such as games, and possibly everything/anything on the screen at any second (such as the home screens).
10) I know this is probably a stupid question, but how active are the developers for these custom ROMs? Can I expect more down the road?
Quicksilver4648 said:
1) What is 'root'ing a device. I have read a few how-to articles and seen a few videos but how would you describe it? I know what Jailbreaking is on the iPhone so I would assume it is very similar to that.
2) What are the benefits to rooting the HTC Evo?
I know there is WiFi /USB tethering but I was wondering what else is possible?
3) If I root the Evo will I (can I) still be able to receive over the air updates?
4) Will Sprint be able to tell I have a rooted device? (Aside from increased data usage)
5) Is the entire process of rooting the Evo reversible?
Ex. After rooting and installing a custom ROM can I go back to the original everything?
6) Obvious that as more time elapses better and more simpler means to root will be available, but at this very moment what do you recommend as the best tutorial to rooting an HTC Evo?
7) Probably my biggest concern with the device is OS fragmentation, more specifically I am afraid Sprint and HTC wont support the Evo once they push out Android 2.2. Obviously Google is hard pressed on out-featuring Apple and their new iOS4 so most likely we will see a 2.3 or other by years end or early next year. Is rooting the Evo and manually installing a custom ROM with newer versions of Android possible? Are their any drawbacks, such as incompatibility?
8) I personally really like HTC's Sense UI and if I rooted the device and then installed a custom ROM with FroYo (or other later Android version) will I lose the Sense UI? If I do lose the Sense UI by installing a custom ROM is it possible to get it back?
9) If I root will I be able to display more with the HDMI out? Currently the Evo can only output Gallery in 720p but I was hoping to do more such as the browser, apps such as games, and possibly everything/anything on the screen at any second (such as the home screens).
10) I know this is probably a stupid question, but how active are the developers for these custom ROMs? Can I expect more down the road?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Gaining access to root means that you have read/write access to all of the essential program folders. You can mess with preaty much anything and everything on the software side of your phone.
2. Backup all apps and data with titanium, overclocking, custom roms, apps2sd, JIT, themes. That is just scratching the surface.
3. Yes, but they will likely take away your root access. Devs may not gain root to those official updates for a long time or ever
4. idk. sorry can't answer them all. Anyone?
5. Yes. Run the latest RUU exe from sprint or HTC and it will unroot, but remember what I said in #3.
6. Toast's sticky on evo development forum
7. There is already a froyo rom, and as you can see their are drawbacks. The roms will evolve with the release of source, but every rom has its kinks. If history is any indication, HTC will not support evo past froyo, and will likely take a while getting the update. That should have sense.
8. Likely sense will be adapted to froyo roms in this forum, but only time will tell.
9. Good question. Again, stumped. Probably can with the right code. Sounds like you need to get in the app dev game.
10. You ain't seen nothing yet. Just based on the talent that is migrating from the hero forum (toast, flipz, zenulator, damageless and darch to name a few) we are in for a fun ride. I expect to see many devs from the g1 to upgrade. Expect a lot of activity in the months to come.
Wow grego442, thanks for the reply. This really helped me out. I am really looking forward to the HTC Evo ever since I learned the iPhone 4 has a 2Gb datacap (really AT&T?) and from I read on various gadget blogs it seems as if the development community will be supporting this device. I only hope they incorporate some of those questions I had in future developments, such as increased HDMI-out functionality.
Related
I have been a long time Cell phone modder, and I have just gotten my first Android Phone, the HTC Evo 4G.
I have been reading androidforums.com and these forums for about a week now trying to get my head wrapped around things, but I still have some lingering questions.
I feel I have a good grip on how to get my phone rooted/nand unlocked, but its the what to do after that, which bothers me.
What I would like to accomplish:
More customized look and feel
Better battery life (without disabling half the features of the damn phone)
Free Wifi Hotspot
Removal of the pre-packaged crapware
Froyo
What I would not like to lose in the process:
Any of the phones functionality, including GPS/4G/Camera/Video/Bluetooth/etc.
Nice features that Sense has, such as Facebook contact syncing
Reliability or usability of the phone in general
As I have gotten older, my desire to mod has become less and less, and I get more tempted to just leave the phone alone and wait for OTA updates to come out, but when I just tried to do the wifi hotspot and learned I would have to pay an additional $30 on top of the $10 "premium data access" I made the decision to root. That being said, I don't want my phone to be something I am flashing every day. I want it to be as stable as possible so that I can get it all set up how I want without having to worry about re-flashing and losing all my data week after week to keep up with bugfixes and such.
What I don't understand is the differences between all the roms. The opinion at large seems to be that CM6 is the way to go, but it seems a lot of stuff is broken in CM6 atm, like 4G among other things.
Since this is my first android phone, I am already getting used to the Sense UI, but I have seen some other peoples home screens that just look amazing.
I guess what I am looking for is some advice, or a bit of a rundown (since I cant find all of this information in one place) about what is the best course of action to get from point A(stock phone) to point B(customized rooted phone which is "stable") over a path of least resistance.
Thanks in advance!
[also making this same post on androidforums.com]
You can accomplish everything you mentioned except froyo. If you do not want to lose any functionality then flashing a froyo rom is out of the question right now because they all have small issues. CM6 is a froyo rom.
The difference between roms is some are based on 2.2 (froyo) and others are based on 2.1 (stock for evo). Then they also differ in terms of what comes pre-installed, some remove all bloatware even sense and others do not, and then there are some in between. Any rom based on 2.1 will likely have everything working. I can tell you from experience that Damage Control and Backed Snack worked very well on my phone. The best thing to do is just try them out. Once your phone is rooted it is very easy to switch between roms.
Lastly the easiest way to achieve root is using simple root program which can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=720565 (that link is assuming you have latest OTA update, if not search for simple root and you will find the one pre update)
try dc 3.2.3 very stable release(has all the features working; 4g, camera, ect) and has good battery life(don't need to disable half of your phones features), it also allows for a lot of customization(DCupdater allows you to download themes and flash them straight from your phone), and you can pick and choose what bloatware to remove using DConfig, a froyo release is suppose to come out sometime this weekend.
Another option for you is to root and then flash the latest rooted "stock" rom. then flash the latest radio and wimax. then you can use a file manager to remove bloatware. I use "root explorer" from the market. be careful what you remove as removing some things can cause problems. I am currently running this on one of my evo's with no problems everything works and battery life will get me through a day. if you need more info as removing the bloatware feel free to pm me and ill help with what i can. I'm sure using the stock rom will be sufficient for you. On the phone i have running i have all features enabled and am pushing my pop3 accounts through gmail, 4g wifitether, all works just fine.
So I'm very new to android, used to have an iPhone enjoyed jail breaking and minor adjustments to the OS but since I have not only been working closely with Android for work but also got a glorious Evo. I love the phone, just amazing how much iPhone users are missing out.
I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions for me on the new unrevoked 3:
- so it states custom roms, assume these are modified versions of android? If so where are good ones, or any suggestions. Would love to get rid of some of the Sprint bloat crap, but also enjoy a few pieces of it.
- is it true that if you use unrevoked 3, you can use the hotspot without paying? Just heard that from someone.
- will 4g still work on phone after unrevoked 3?
- what are some other perks you can do with a rooted phone like the evo? Would love to get then normal gallery app like on the n1, not the one sprint has.
It's great to be part of the new community, thanks for any advice people can provide.
thewhiterabbit9 said:
So I'm very new to android, used to have an iPhone enjoyed jail breaking and minor adjustments to the OS but since I have not only been working closely with Android for work but also got a glorious Evo. I love the phone, just amazing how much iPhone users are missing out.
I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions for me on the new unrevoked 3:
- so it states custom roms, assume these are modified versions of android? If so where are good ones, or any suggestions. Would love to get rid of some of the Sprint bloat crap, but also enjoy a few pieces of it.
- is it true that if you use unrevoked 3, you can use the hotspot without paying? Just heard that from someone.
- will 4g still work on phone after unrevoked 3?
- what are some other perks you can do with a rooted phone like the evo? Would love to get then normal gallery app like on the n1, not the one sprint has.
It's great to be part of the new community, thanks for any advice people can provide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) each rom is different but luckily each developer explains his/her features. i just use a stock 2.2 rom for rooted phones
2)you can remove some bloatware yourself once you root the phone
3)any rooted phone can use the google android wifi tether app...for free
4)4g will work after unrevoked 3 (last i heard it was working.. fyi some roms may not work well w/ 4g)
5) some things rooted phones can do:
free wireless tether
free wired tether
titanium backup app
clockworkmod rom manager app
increase MMS photo size/remove compression limits on MMS
custom kernals, roms, bootscreens
root explorer app
shootme app
overclocking apps such as setcpu or overclockwidget
just read around, especially here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=653
You are going to see a lot of stuff about sense versus non-sense...that is referring too your user interface. Sense is what you have now. Cm6, for example, does not and will not ever be a sense version of the rom. Since you're still getting your feet wet I would stick with a sense themed rom...check out fresh 3.2 rom, EViO is another nice rom as well, as is avalaunch's av7, damage control 3 5...there are several very nice roms out there for the evo.
And to confirm, roms are basically operating systems for the phone, yeah. Definitely spend some time reading the rom threads and the link above you might as well bookmark now
Welcome to the other side. We really don't bite.
Edit ..from what I have read free hotspur is available, yes. And you will still be able to use 4g with unrevoked latest method. However if you run a cm 6 rom you will not as of yet be able to use 4g.
Tiepoz baught two yoo bi swype"3
Awesome, thanks! So last question, is using uncooked unrevoked allow me to go back to stock ota when an update comes out or how does that work?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I feel bad but I just un-rooted my regaw_leinad rooted EVO using djR3Z method so I could apply the new update. I know there were other ways of doing it but it just seemed the more sensible way for a noob. I really wanted to root to get rid of that FPS cap anyways. I didn't do one single thing to my EVO while rooted besides download a screengrabber app that I didn't even use... I am still learning all about what is possible with root on Android, and until I find something totally mind blowing I think I'll keep stock.
Can anyone give me any reasons why I should have root besides custom roms??? I love the idea but not the headaches it gives me...
And, if custom roms are the big idea, what benefits will that give? Don't they run a little finicky anyways? Not all features are enabled, e.g. 4g?
Please list here.
********update12/26/10******
Just rooted again with unrEVOked 3.22 on Ubuntu 10.10.
***************************
generalExpert said:
I feel bad but I just un-rooted my regaw_leinad rooted EVO using djR3Z method so I could apply the new update. I know there were other ways of doing it but it just seemed the more sensible way for a noob. I really wanted to root to get rid of that FPS cap anyways. I didn't do one single thing to my EVO while rooted besides download a screengrabber app that I didn't even use... I am still learning all about what is possible with root on Android, and until I find something totally mind blowing I think I'll keep stock.
Can anyone give me any reasons why I should have root besides custom roms??? I love the idea but not the headaches it gives me...
And, if custom roms are the big idea, what benefits will that give? Don't they run a little finicky anyways? Not all features are enabled, e.g. 4g?
Please list here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Custom ROMs are usually faster and have more features and customizations than the stock ROM. There are also tons of root-required apps that let you do crazy things to your phone like get free wireless hotspot, backup all of your apps with data and Market links, and change the apparent density of your display.
I'm somewhat of a noob and just made the switch.
WiFi tether
Remove some sprint apps
Custom boot animations
Like the above said, custom roms show a performance increase
Love the Quick Boot app
There are a bunch of threads around with more root apps you will most likely like.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
General, the benefit is freedom. if you waited a litttle bit you would already be able to flash the exact same rom rooted which is readily available. http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=653
Good luck though.
Also, rooting takes like 2 seconds now that unrEVOked Forever is out.
A rooted phone nets you more options. There's no drawback to it. Why not?
generalExpert said:
I feel bad but I just un-rooted my regaw_leinad rooted EVO using djR3Z method so I could apply the new update. I know there were other ways of doing it but it just seemed the more sensible way for a noob. I really wanted to root to get rid of that FPS cap anyways. I didn't do one single thing to my EVO while rooted besides download a screengrabber app that I didn't even use... I am still learning all about what is possible with root on Android, and until I find something totally mind blowing I think I'll keep stock.
Can anyone give me any reasons why I should have root besides custom roms??? I love the idea but not the headaches it gives me...
And, if custom roms are the big idea, what benefits will that give? Don't they run a little finicky anyways? Not all features are enabled, e.g. 4g?
Please list here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not everyone roots their phone - just the people here So, if you feel no need to root your phone, then don't.
I'm not a power user or speed freak so uncapping the fps isn't a big issue for me. I originally rooted my phone so I could use wireless tether. I'm staying rooted because I can play around with my phone a little more - change the boot animation (and turn off the sound), remove the Sprint apps that I don't use but that turn off automatically, and back up my apps and data and monitor my battery usage.
The custom roms are a quick way for me to accomplish my needs. I don't really like the Sense UI (which surprised me because I always though it was great-looking), so the roms give alternative ways to set up my phone.
Help with OTA
Hey guys. Okay I saw there is a update on xda. I'm using unrevoked3. Do I need to delete Unrevoked or just download the zip file that was released. I'm talking about about the deodexed and rooted.Im still lost on how where to put the updated file at? Please if anyone is in my boat and have had good results please tell me,im a noob,beginner,novice.
There is got to be someone who can explain in plain english lol..
Thanks everyone
Yes, I do feel crappy about it... I wish I was still rooted. I know the rooted update was available, but just thought that the OG update would run a bit better..?.. I guess I wanted to unroot to learn how among other things too. Believe it or not, doing that taught me a lot about hboot and recovery. At least I know I can always root again.
And YES, I HATE SENSE!!! But, I was reading on Cyanogen that CM6 had problems with the 4g and had a few bugs. But that vanilla android look is what I want!
Also, when non-rooted, is there no recovery? I clicked back into it just to check and it gave me a red exclamation mark over a phone...
TheBiles said:
Custom ROMs are usually faster and have more features and customizations than the stock ROM. There are also tons of root-required apps that let you do crazy things to your phone like get free wireless hotspot, backup all of your apps with data and Market links, and change the apparent density of your display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for the info... But along with all of the "Customness" and features aren't there also, bugs that go along with it? Like random reboots, and battery issues, and some other stuff?
Yes I love hacking stuff and know that this is all part of the fun, but I think I just need to research a little more. If you can't tell already I'm kind of paranoid about screwing things up. I rooted and really wanted to flash CM6 but didn't have the balls to. Maybe in a month or so i'll redo it.
generalExpert said:
Hey, thanks for the info... But along with all of the "Customness" and features aren't there also, bugs that go along with it? Like random reboots, and battery issues, and some other stuff?
Yes I love hacking stuff and know that this is all part of the fun, but I think I just need to research a little more. If you can't tell already I'm kind of paranoid about screwing things up. I rooted and really wanted to flash CM6 but didn't have the balls to. Maybe in a month or so i'll redo it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the custom ROMs are very stable and have better battery life than the stock ROM. As long as you make a nandroid backup there is ZERO risk to flashing a new ROM (assuming you don't like pull the battery out while flashing or something), so you can try one out for a few hours, and if you don't like it you can instantly go back to what you had before. Simple as pie. Give the major ones a whirl and see what you like. I know that there are some HTC ROMs themed to look like CM6 that have working 4G.
I also avoid cm6 because of the lack of 4g. Instead I use Vaelpak because it has minimal sense but enough so I can have my 4g. I'm thinking of trying Virus' mostly senseless rom.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
generalExpert said:
But that vanilla android look is what I want!
Also, when non-rooted, is there no recovery? I clicked back into it just to check and it gave me a red exclamation mark over a phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you mention the vanilla android look, what exactly are you referring to?
Is it the Vanilla theme and icons? -De-Odex roms would allow for custom themes that give the vanilla android look i.e. MrPuffin's Vanilla AOSP and Vanilla theme for Sense UI
Is it the android launcher? -Launcher Pro and ADW launcher are quite nice replacements to the Sense launcher
I'd think that if you didn't like the HTC Sense look, you would have kept root and just themed your phone to look Vanilla. Then again, it all comes down to what you believe provides the best user experience.
And regarding recovery, I believe Clockwork and Amon Ra require root.
mizzos4 said:
When you mention the vanilla android look, what exactly are you referring to?
Is it the Vanilla theme and icons? -De-Odex roms would allow for custom themes that give the vanilla android look i.e. MrPuffin's Vanilla AOSP and Vanilla theme for Sense UI
Is it the android launcher? -Launcher Pro and ADW launcher are quite nice replacements to the Sense launcher
I'd think that if you didn't like the HTC Sense look, you would have kept root and just themed your phone to look Vanilla. Then again, it all comes down to what you believe provides the best user experience.
And regarding recovery, I believe Clockwork and Amon Ra require root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, by Vanilla Android i'm talkin Nexus One. Those themes look pretty good though. I'm already jonsen for root again and it's only been a half day.
Launcher Pro? Doesn't that just overlay Sense and therefore cause a bit of a slow down, use more memory, and possibly more battery. (probably not noticeable though..)
Yes, Clockwork and Amon_Ra require root. I was just wondering if there was a recovery in NON-ROOTED. When I'm in a non-rooted EVO at hboot, and select Recovery I get that red Exclamation mark over the phone and have to pull the battery.
Thanks for all your help!
Whoa thr new kernel allows up to 53 fps but std is 8+... on netarchys' kernel it was about 54 - 56 with a std of 4... at least that is how it behaves on mine.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
halorin said:
A rooted phone nets you more options. There's no drawback to it. Why not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there may be security drawbacks to those that are not cautious with the apps they install.
generalExpert said:
I feel bad but I just un-rooted my <EvO>.
I really wanted to root to get rid of that FPS cap anyways.
I didn't do one single thing to my EVO while rooted besides download a screengrabber app that I didn't even use
Can anyone give me any reasons why I should have root besides custom roms??? I love the idea but not the headaches it gives me...
And, if custom roms are the big idea, what benefits will that give? Don't they run a little finicky anyways? Not all features are enabled, e.g. 4g?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- why feel bad?
- if the next statement is true, then the FPS cap must not have been an issue; else you would have done a google search on the issue and corrected it.
- if this statement is true, why feel bad?
- i dont find the need for so many custom ROMs (not like back when i was running on WinMo6). once you have 'root', adding/removing apps is straightforward and most of the ROMs are just a "here is my theme and apps, it's built on someone else who did the low level tweaking". custom ROM just makes it easier to get closer to what YOU want for an applist and themelayout. i like cm6 and dont' like theme's so life is easy for me.
- CM6 is AOSP. this means they will not use propriarty code (like Sense). for the EVO it also means the 4G radio software has to be written from scratch since there is no opensource 4G stuff to use yet. if you pick a Sense based rom (ie: anythign that doesn't refer to itself as CM6 or AOSP based).
Note: AOSP Like means that it is a Sense based ROM but it's been made to look/act similar to the CM6 or AOSP ROMs. 4G and Radio and such should work normally.
enjoy the free time associated with being Root-less.
Well, I'm re-rooted. Used the unrEVOked method. It was just so easy, there was no reason not to. Really want to get on cyanogen but waiting for the 4g.
sent from my bad-ass EVO!
Hey guys, this had been posted in other forums, but I wanted some specific answers from play users.
I've been wanting to root my play for a while in order to freeze apps/control the cpu for improved battery life, and now that there is that great guide from typikal, it finally seems do able.
My question its, beyond freezing/deleting bloatware, what do you guys do with your rooted phones? What features do some of the more popular roms offer? I really like stock android, would that be a mistake to root and just run a vanilla 2.3.3 rom?
Thanks for all the responses and information, I think I'm getting a handle on this android stuff finally.
My only reason for Rooting was because the memory sucks and I needed to move my games to the SD card. I don’t pirate and I don't just install anything do to the high malware rates.
I only do it so I can get rid of all the useless pre-installed crap that comes on the phone
I hate having stuff I don't use
And so I can use quick reboot apps
Thanks for the replies. What can you guys tell me about the more popular roms, like Cyanogen? What extra features would this rom bring to the table that I would presumably want?
And, is it even possible to flash to a stock 2.3.3 rom on the R800x?
I haven't tried the ROMs yet. I'm waiting for them to be more complete.
Rooting means to have complete control about how your OS works (note: OS, not device). It is something that we as users should demand to have toggled/toggleable by default, at least if we have bought the phone without carrier subsidies. After all, we have root access over the personal computers we buy, and we buy them without subsidies either. Smartphones are personal computers with phone capabilities, so they should not be any different in that aspect.
Extra features usually allowed by rooting, plus customised ROMs are moving all apps to SD, overclocking, wifi tethering, system-wide backups (that is, to safely back up all your phone's data) and so on. Note that you need to unlock your bootloaders as well, for custom ROMs to be installed.
Note that you don't need root to pirate anything.
I agree with logseman that we should have full access without worrying about warranties.
But on the other have there are a lot of noobs that will screw everything up. lol
Although screwing things up is how we learn in the first place.
Edit: Something as simple as taking a screen shot or disabling the auto brightness should not require root access. (Root access is basically the Administrator account in Linux.)
We screw up our PC's in a daily basis and noone will close the software. The reason why people have no control over their device is that the one giving the subsidy (the carrier) is the real end customer of the phone.
Hey guys I am a serious beginner to the android world. I just upgraded to the Nexus from a Blackberry. I am looking to root and add a rom to get the best performance from my phone. I have looked at a lot of threads and websites but because of my newness to this world, some of the instructions are not clear to me. I have a Mac and just want some step by step instructions that I can understand so I won't do anything wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
mrmajor247 said:
Hey guys I am a serious beginner to the android world. I just upgraded to the Nexus from a Blackberry. I am looking to root and add a rom to get the best performance from my phone. I have looked at a lot of threads and websites but because of my newness to this world, some of the instructions are not clear to me. I have a Mac and just want some step by step instructions that I can understand so I won't do anything wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will offer my opinion and you can do with it what you will.
First off I have no information about how, specifically, you root with a Mac.
Secondly, my advice is think hard about why you want root. I started rooting back with my HTC EVO and it was pretty cool - until the problems started. When I say problems, I should probably say bugs. I tried several roms and most were pretty good but all had their shortcomings, random reboots, force closes, etc. I finally ended up with Cyanogenmod (arguably the best rom out there) but even then I had problems. No autofocus in in video, no HDMI out and something else I can't put my finger on now - but really annoyed me.
In short, rooting is kind of a give and take between fun stuff and more bugs - IF you are using custom roms which most everyone does. The factory roms are written by the guys who make the phones and the custom roms are written by guys who are reverse-engineering the hardware/software so expect some problems. (Cyanogenmod even had a list of things that didn't work on their webpage). The Nexus is stock AOSP so the roms may be better but there is still the issue of custom kernels, radios, etc. If you don't get it JUST RIGHT you can have compatibility and stability problems.
My Nexus is still stock and is waiting for the official 4.0.4 OTA (over the air) update. It runs much more stable than my EVO with Cyanogenmod (or any other rom). If you want the best performance and don't NEED any of the functionality of root I'd personally just keep it stock. I've thought about rooting again, but ultimately I don't really need it. My friend switched from iOS to Android and rooted but kept having reboot issues on a couple roms and ultimately restored to stock and was fine. Same story with another friend who is currently (read: STILL) using a gen1 Droid.
Don't get me wrong, rooting is great - if you will really use it. But I wouldn't root just for the hell of it unless you don't mind the hassles.
YMMV
Good luck!
chjade84 said:
I will offer my opinion and you can do with it what you will.
First off I have no information about how, specifically, you root with a Mac.
Secondly, my advice is think hard about why you want root. I started rooting back with my HTC EVO and it was pretty cool - until the problems started. When I say problems, I should probably say bugs. I tried several roms and most were pretty good but all had their shortcomings, random reboots, force closes, etc. I finally ended up with Cyanogenmod (arguably the best rom out there) but even then I had problems. No autofocus in in video, no HDMI out and something else I can't put my finger on now - but really annoyed me.
In short, rooting is kind of a give and take between fun stuff and more bugs - IF you are using custom roms which most everyone does. The factory roms are written by the guys who make the phones and the custom roms are written by guys who are reverse-engineering the hardware/software so expect some problems. (Cyanogenmod even had a list of things that didn't work on their webpage). The Nexus is stock AOSP so the roms may be better but there is still the issue of custom kernels, radios, etc. If you don't get it JUST RIGHT you can have compatibility and stability problems.
My Nexus is still stock and is waiting for the official 4.0.4 OTA (over the air) update. It runs much more stable than my EVO with Cyanogenmod (or any other rom). If you want the best performance and don't NEED any of the functionality of root I'd personally just keep it stock. I've thought about rooting again, but ultimately I don't really need it. My friend switched from iOS to Android and rooted but kept having reboot issues on a couple roms and ultimately restored to stock and was fine. Same story with another friend who is currently (read: STILL) using a gen1 Droid.
Don't get me wrong, rooting is great - if you will really use it. But I wouldn't root just for the hell of it unless you don't mind the hassles.
YMMV
Good luck!
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This is good info but... There are other reasons to root a device other than just running custom ROMS such as the ability to use Titanium Backup (for backing up your apps / device), AD Free (for getting rid of ad's in free apps) along with other great apps that you can only use when your device is rooted.
I am running a custom ROM and you are correct, I have / had some bugs with it so in this case for a NOOB the OP may be best to stay stock for the time being but there are other reasons to root.
OP - All I can say is READ, READ, READ and the READ SOMEMORE... Good luck and welcome to ANDROID!!!
As a fellow noob/semi noob I can highly recommend using youtube instead of text guides if available. There are a surprising amount of video guides that are alot easier to follow..
For me the posibility to do full and partial backups of my phone is the main reason i rooted.
yiannisthegreek said:
This is good info but... There are other reasons to root a device other than just running custom ROMS such as the ability to use Titanium Backup (for backing up your apps / device), AD Free (for getting rid of ad's in free apps) along with other great apps that you can only use when your device is rooted.
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Right. He mentioned rooting for performance so I assumed he meant he wanted to use a custom rom/kernel/radio. I rooted mostly for roms (HTC Sense, sigh) and tethering but titanium backup was awesome (although less useful if you don't switch roms every week lol). Adfree was alright but I don't notice much of a difference. Overclocking was fun, too - but except for benchmark scores I didn't notice much of a difference either.
If I root again it will be stock ASOP and only for tethering --- but only if I can find a 100% stock rom with just the carrier-tethering-tracker file removed.
Klippetop said:
As a fellow noob/semi noob I can highly recommend using youtube instead of text guides if available. There are a surprising amount of video guides that are alot easier to follow..
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+1!
Youtube videos are much nicer than written guides. Just watch and follow along step-by-step seeing how everything is supposed to go.
I actually made a how to video for the nexus s 4g on a Mac. And did it the same way on my galaxy nexus. Only thing u would have to do different is make sure u type in the right clockwormod recovery image but here's the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m3ypr4J5Gc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
You couldn't really pick an easier phone to root, I would do a lot of reading before having at it though. I was able to find a guide fairly quickly by doing a google search. I would link it but apparently I'm still a noob myself.
root causes random reboots?
LOL
I found this method to be the easiest, at least for me.
I was in the same situation a couple weeks ago, didn't know a thing about rooting but now I'm flashing custom roms and testing kernels
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1352413
good luck and have fun
Firstly, just use the device. Get used to Android before trying everything else. For all you know it might do exactly what you want it to without rooting.
If, after a week or 2 of using it, you want to explore rooting then read the rooting guides available online or in the Dev forum. Then give some ROMs a try! Better to find out for yourself which work for you than asking for a recommendation as what works for one user might be **** for another.
Also, learn how to use adb and fastboot as they'll come in handy in future (not enough people have any idea what to do). Try and do things manually as opposed to using one-click tools so you have the confidence to know what you're doing