Android cell phone ROOT (like jailbreaking an iPhone)

[herm]

just rooted my HTC Eris (which did/does NOT have antenna/deathgrip/dropped call problem, no matter what steve says!)

anyway, for anyone else who has this phone or similar, have you rooted? i am still figuring out exactly what i can do to/with the phone now that i have control

[rgramjet]

Please explain for us laymen what you just said. 

Im starting to look at new phones......the curve is catching up to my Instinct.

[derby]

Please explain for us laymen what you just said. 

he got administrator-level access to the phone's operating system...

[rgramjet]

then what?

[1KDS]

then what?

Then anything, people do it for more control and options.  This is fairly advanced phone trickery and *could* void the warranty.

http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=Why_Root

[djrashonal]

then what?

There is a certain level of "options" that are usually shut off to end users. there are things you can change in the subsystem of some phones to make them run faster (overclock the cpu) add you're own programs, access testing menus, add other people's programs, or in some instances add a completely different operating system.

[rgramjet]

I am happy when I can change my background image.  Ignorance is Bliss and I'm ecstatic!

[mitt]

Root the new droid-x and it sounds like you make a $200 paper weight.

mitt

[djrashonal]

Root the new droid-x and it sounds like you make a $200 paper weight.

mitt

hopefully that e-fuse chip will last just as long as that V-chip they put in tvs

[hankthe8th]

I rooted my Motorola DROID and I love it. It seems like the non-rooted community is always waiting for the next update, while rooted users are on it way in advance.

I'm smart enough to follow rooting directions, but not smart enough to develop my own stuff, so I'm at the mercy of what the smart guys out there are doing. I'm currently running an Android 2.2 Froyo ROM (BBv0.4), with the Droid X theme, and overclocked to 1.1ghz. This thing is fast. I think a stock droid runs at 600Mhz.

Other than that, the only thing I take advantage of is WiFi tethering (don't tell Verizon). That really comes in handy when I'm at the airport and I need internet on my laptop. The airports that I go to don't have free wifi, so the rooted droid really pulls through on that.

Just like on here, I just do what the forums tell me to do:
http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/htc-droid-eris/

[Mad Duc]

Root the new droid-x and it sounds like you make a $200 paper weight.

mitt

It's only a matter of time.

[il d00d]

I was looking at the HTC Aria for ATT, which is their only Android phone - pretty neat little device, although I am not sure why the average consumer would choose this over an iPhone 3GS, since you can now get an 8Gig model for a hundred bucks.  The Aria is $20 more, smaller, and doesn't have the cachet of an Apple product.  
As for me - since I seem to have an inexplicable emotional stake in the phone operating system wars- buying and rooting this phone would allow me to:
- Run android on ATTs iPhone-clogged data and voice network. TAKE THAT APPLE.
- Uninstall the ATT apps that I don't want - you can't do this without rooting the phone
- Side-load some applications - by default, you have to go through the ATT store to buy Android apps, you can't install them via memory card or other methods.

So, to answer your question rgramjet , nothing of great consequence if you are not a phone nerd.  But, it is kinda cool to have full control over the hardware that you own - I wouldn't necessarily need to root any Android phone I bought, but it is nice to have the option.

[PhoenixS4R]

Rooted my HTC incredible last night. No real reason. Nice that I can use my Droids led as a flash light tho. The ability to be a WiFi hot spot is pretty cool, but I gave my itouch to my pops when I got the phone.... so no real need for that either. All my friends have touches tho so I'm sure it'll get used, assuming there's a plug nearby as the incredible eats batteries like no ones business.