Rooting And Beyond. The Freedom Of Android

Android is already an extremely free and open operating system. You have almost complete control over how your phone looks and behaves, but that's not enough for some people. Sometimes the lure of a complete system overhaul is too tempting, and sometimes carrier and manufacturer restrictions seem like walls, meant to keep us out of pure phone customization nirvana. But are those walls there to keep us out? Or to protect us?

Why Root?

I was the proud owner of an HTC Evo 4G on Sprint almost 3 years ago. Back then, the idea of a 4 inch screen was preposterous. And Android was just starting to catch the eye of the Blackberry and iPhone owners of the world. And this phone was the biggest, baddest, beast around. HTC was really pushing the envelope, trying to show the world what phones could really be. Today, my Evo looks dwarfed next to my enormous One X. I say all that to make the point that technology moves fast. We all know that as soon as something new comes out, and you buy it for full price, it's not a month later that you hear about the next thing, and what "it" can do. And all of a sudden your brand new thing doesn't seem so appealing anymore. It's a race for consumers and electronics manufacturers. This is where rooting for me began. I had an amazing phone, and no sooner was I enjoying the speed of Wi-Max 4G, when I see a commercial for the
HTC Thunderbolt. An almost carbon copy of the Evo, only with an LTE radio, and a newer version of Android.

Thus began my desire for more. And with it, the search for how-to-root tutorials.

You see, when you root your Android, you have the ability to completely change everything about it. the OS version, the launcher, the feature set, everything short of hardware. You could overclock your processor and make your phone run circles around the competition, or you could slow it down and make your battery last for days! My phone became a playground without walls. And that is why I rooted.

More, More, More!

Rooting has become such a common practice among Android heavy-users that Apps within the Google Play Store advertise as "root only." Meaning some features can only be accessed by rooted devices. And amateur developers began popping up everywhere with more and more creative ways to change your device. Some were free, some were cheap, some were flawless, some never really worked. But once the floodgates were open, there was no stopping us. Some developers even made software that got around your carriers restrictions on web use and tethering, that's when things got a little out of hand.

A recent bill passed in congress that made it illegal to "unlock" or "root" your device while you were still under contract. As unconstitutional as it sounds, it passed (with help I'm sure from carrier's lobbyists). This hasn't really stopped anyone, but it's worth mentioning.

One Very Big Con

You might be thinking to yourself "this sounds too good to be true! sign me up!" Slow your roll, mission control. As with any computer, when you start messing around in non-user space it's very possible that you could do something wrong in the process of rooting and render your device completely useless... irreversibly. 

Here's the extent of my sad story. But basically, I tried to root my HTC One X in order to get a newer version of Android. I was impatient and AT&T was slow as molasses in releasing updates. And I broke it. The saddest part was the later that day, AT&T released the update. It was a sad, ironic event and I will not soon forget.

Although my story has a happy ending, AT&T did replace my phone, many many people have been not so lucky. If you choose to root, be warned. The walls are there for a reason, and without the protection of Google and your carrier, it is also possible for someone to write a piece of software to steal your identity. so just be careful what you download, and who you give your information to.

Is Rooting For Me?

Here's my advice, Don't root your only phone. And if you do root, make sure you read through and understand all of the instructions first. If you don't understand a step in the process, it's probably not worth the risk.

If you do root, there is a great recourse for you a XDA Developers. Enjoy! And be safe!