Why Root Your Android Phone

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Why Root Your Android Phone

10 Reasons to Root Your Android Phone

Androids are powerful devices. The problem is that many of the stock operating systems (aka ROMs) are bogged down with bloatware that can eventually leave the Android at a standstill. Well, have no fear cause rooting is here!

Rooting an Android unlocks the potential it was designed for, not made for with special interest groups in mind, i.e. cell phone companies. With a rooted phone it’ll be personalized, perform better, and have longer lasting battery. That is why we have amassed the top ten reasons on why the grass is greener on the other side.

Bloatware

Bloatware is a significant problem for Androids right out of the box. What makes people pull their hair out is apps that slow the phone down are often times unable to be uninstalled.  It’s baffling when an unwanted GPS navigation app can’t be uninstalled starts up after each reboot and sucks battery life in the process. The solution to this problem is simple, root.

Rooting an Android allows you to uninstall these once uninstallable apps via a root uninstaller from the Play Store. Say bye-bye to those useless navigation apps.

ROMs

Custom-built ROMs are the number one reason to root an Android. Not only are they made with zero bloatware, furthermore they can allow it to get top tier operating systems like Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) or Jelly Bean (JB) that the phones system may not have initial support for. This allows for a smoother, better-looking OS that is much more functional.

The best custom ROMs are based off of Cyanogenmod (CM). ICS is built under the name CM9 and is probably the best bet. As far as JB goes it’d probably be best to wait for CM10, as it’s still in beta phases. The best place to find ROMs is on XDA-developers forums under the “Android Development” subsection of your Android.

Backups

The old adage safety first is always pertinent when flashing a device. If an Android doesn’t flash the ROM correctly it can become stuck in recovery or even become bricked. That is why it is imperative to make a backup of the device’s nandroid ROM (a 1:1 complete backup of the current system). This is more of a precautionary measure, but in the event of a ROM not working it offers an easy get out of jail free card. All in all it’s better to be safe than be sorry.

Kernels

One thing people gawk n’ gab over about having a rooted phone is the performance. That is where kernels come into play. Kernels are the firmware that keeps the Android phone running smoothly.  Hypothetically, if it were a car the kernel would be the transmission. It can make a huge difference in screen lag, battery life, and even give app support to rooted apps such as Voodoo Sound. Overall kernels can unleash the beast of an Android.

Mods

While ROMs and kernels are the bread and butter of rooting there are many mods that are worth the rooted Android user’s while. The first being v6 supercharger. V6 supercharger makes the system run flawlessly through comprehensive RAM management. This mod will literally rejuvenate the Android so it performs at levels that are unfathomable. When setting up be sure to follow directions, otherwise you’re in for a headache.

Secondly, to all the audio junkies out there, be sure to check out Awesome Beats. Awesome Beats is a mod/app that installs Beats Audio to the phone that can be controlled via a modified DSP manager. Both of these mods require being flashed through recovery, and are definitely worth it.

Apps

Apps for rooted phones are absolutely awesome. Two that are particularly alluring is Sixaxis Controller as well as Voodoo Sound. Sixaxis Controller allows a PS3 controller to sync through Bluetooth to an Android phone or tablet. So while everyone else is using a touch screen, you’ll be fragging people left and right. This app is a load of fun with the Modern Combat series.

Secondly there is Voodoo Sound. Although full versions aren’t available for all phones quite yet, the Galaxy S and Nexus S do have full capabilities due to there Wolfson Micro chip. Voodoo Sound offers digital analog conversion X128 oversampling, and a bass boost leaving the user with the best sounding MP3 player in the galaxy.

Tethering

Ever wanted to get Wi-Fi on a computer but couldn’t find an open network? Well those days are in the past. Tethering allows the phone data to be accessed by a computer or tablet wirelessly.  What separates a tether app from a rooted tether app is that it has much more functionality and it gets around the tethering fees most cell phone companies charge. To no surprise it does therefore violate Terms of Service policies, but chances are if you do get caught it’ll just be a warning.

Overclocking

Overclocking (OC) is a double edge sword. It can significantly boost the Android’s performance, but it will also drain the battery in the process. It’s superb for running games with HD graphics. OC serves as another pillar of strength in making the game run flawlessly. The best app for doing this is AnTuTu CPU Master. It can be bought on the Play Store and even has a sister app for benchmarking to see how well your Android runs against other devices.

Better Battery Life

Get charged up for this next reason to root. With a majority of the tweaks discussed above, it’ll result in substantially more batter life. Compound that with underclocking (UC) and undervolting (UV) then it’ll be days before the next charge. Be careful in doing so, as too much of this can lead to a very slow system, with constant restarts, and possibly not being able to turn on. I would recommend not UV more than-50 mV, or UC more than one tab over. Both UV/UC can be done through the AnTuTu CPU Master app as well.

Carrier IQ

The movie V for Vendetta depicts the lengths big brother will go in order to get ahold of information. Unfortunately, life sometimes is like the movies. Carrier IQ is an incognito app installed on makes and models of all phones. It has the potential to record each keystroke on a device. Fortunately through rooting, it can eventually be uninstalled.

Throughout this article we explored the multitude of reasons to root your Android.  Everything from personalization, performance to better battery life has been touched on. We also discussed the importance of security and gave some preliminary insight on how to handle that situation. Overall rooting your phone really makes it your phone. Now that’s something to root for!

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