It has been brought to my attention that a lot of people are unaware of the full potential that they have in their hands and pockets for most of the day. The Android smart phonethat is in their possession is one of the most powerful things they own.
You are probably wondering, "Well if it's so powerful, why would I need to root it?"
Phone companies, while developing a phone, can either release the phone when they need to (if they think it will profit, or there is other competition being released), or they can work out all of the kinks and optimize it. Sadly enough, they rarely get optimized. That's where rooting come in.
You are probably wondering, "Well if it's so powerful, why would I need to root it?"
Phone companies, while developing a phone, can either release the phone when they need to (if they think it will profit, or there is other competition being released), or they can work out all of the kinks and optimize it. Sadly enough, they rarely get optimized. That's where rooting come in.
Rooting is possible by a developer (thanks to the fact that Android is open source software). Think of the developer as the phone companies working overtime, and for no pay. They can tap into the full potential of your phone.
What rooting does:
Rooting your phone does a number of things. It lets you get Superuser access to your root directory (where you can customize things like appearance or performance). It also allows you to flash(flash is rooting terms for install) a different kernel, optimized for the ROM of your choosing.
ROMs. ROMs are what I referred to earlier as the developers overtime. They create their own version of Android, a new Operating System, that customizes your smart phone experience. It can change the color of your icons, change the app dock, whether or not you have an app menu, etc. It can do basically anything. With a ROM you can uncap the full potential of your phone.
After ROMs there is apps. There are a number of apps on the market that only work while rooted. Screenshot apps, overclocking apps, etc. Just by rooting you are able to do so much more in the Market.
Speed and performance. Kernels are the things that tell your processor what to do, and how to do it. By changing that, you can change your processor speed and voltages. Meaning you are able to do what you love to do, only faster.
Looks. If you have the latest and greatest Android smart phone, you can't deny wanting eye-candy. It's your desire, and the reason you enjoy Android so much. When you root, you can take any imperfections out. If you think it would look better with a blue theme instead of a green one, or you want your favorite color everywhere, you can do it. If you don't like the default layout of the phone, or the styling, you can change it too. You can even make it look like an iPhone. (Though I wouldn't know why you would.)
Customization. This ties into the looks and speed and performance sections. Being able to say that no one around has the same phone as you is nice (iPhone users reading this don't know what it's like). But the moment when you do see someone with your phone, and you can still say your phone is different, is priceless. It gives people warm fuzzies inside.
Now that you have read that and know that you want to root, what next? This is the part where you head over to XDA Developers, go to the top right, and type in your phone. From there, you can find guides on rooting, installing ROMs, and tips and tricks. The best ROMs are the ones that people try to port like MIUI, Cyanogen Mod, and others depending on your phone.
Disadvantages
ReplyDeleteWe'll start with the lesser of the two, drawbacks. Once your phone has been rooted, your manufacturer warranty is null in void. This is probably the number one reason for people not rooting their Android devices, but if you decide rooting is not for you, the process is just as easily undone. Reversal of this process leaves no evidence of ever having been done and your warranty is back in place.
Another negative that I'm aware of is the risk of bricking your shiny new toy. The chances of this are slim to none, but if you don't know what you are doing, your odds of creating the coolest paperweight in the office are much higher. If you choose to root, please read instructions carefully. The most important steps – they're all important – are likely in bold, red, or bold and red font usually followed by exclamation marks. Pay close attention to those steps.
Security is a growing issue in mobile devices, especially since many technologies are moving to mobile space. Gaining root access does bring to light some security concerns, but it isn't as serious as it seems. Nick Kralevich, an engineer on the Android Security Team, states that rooting, "...is not a feature of a device; rather, it is the active exploitation of a known security hole." He goes on to explain that Android is "backed by a solid implementation" and that applications are "sandboxed" from each other. This means that you have to allow permissions to any application that attempts to interact with another. You are in control, even when rooted.
Great article !!!
ReplyDeletegood for good users
ReplyDelete