install z4root, it can temp root your device or perm root it, all in one click.

 

What exactly does it mean to "root" your phone? And why do it?

Sorry to jp, not trying to hijack your thread, just curious.

 

No need to be sorry. That was my next question! lol

 

It will make your phone untied to certain restrictions placed by the maker Allows you to download free stuff and run it with reckless abandon ...

But it won't really add any extra phone memory. I got an EVO and have not seen the need to root mine yet. If they could improve the fargin battery performance I'd be there yesterday. So I got the 73 jiggawatt battery instead and am happy as a bearded clam

 

Yeah, essentially root access gives you admin access on the phone. I rooted my Droid X so I could remove all the junk Verizon apps preloaded on it (Blockbuster, VZ Navigator etc). On my orig Droid I rooted it so I could overclock it.

 

Kuro - I'm on the orig droid - can tethering be unlocked so that I don't have to add it on my service plan if I root, also is the 855 capable of being a wifi hotspot? Not sure if it has that chipset in it.

Thanks in advance.

 

When rooted you can install apps that need root or su (superuser) access. I use PDANet to tether my fone, but it depends on your provider if it will cost you or not. Like with verizon, they will still charge you if you tether with or w/o their app. Thats just using the data connection, if you use wireless it shouldnt cost you anything, and thats what I use PDANet for, when needed. I use wireless tether to make my fone a wireless hotspot. Both of which need root access to work.

With a rooted fone you can change ROMs and kernels out for your particular fone so you can overclock, manage battery use better, better performance etc. You can also like already said uninstall the default apps, but some suggest just renaming them in case you have to have warranty work done on your fone. With most providers rooting your fone will void the warranty , hence why I like z4root as it can temp or perm root your fone.

 

I rooted my original droid to overclock it...I rooted my Droid X to remove some apps....and then I started installing ROMS. I did burn up my original droid by overclocking it lol, It went from 500Mhz to 1.3Ghz and then it quit working....My X I dont feel the need to over clock but messing around with roms is what I like.

my original droid took me awhile to root, my X I downloaded boot strapper and then some quick root program. It took all of like 5 minutes to do. Also a plus to root is when updates are released you can normally find them 1-2 weeks earlier in a rom over the OTA update. I had 2.2 about 2 weeks before the OTA update was released for the X.

 

ya...droids are cool. i chose not root, just a new launcher and couple other useful apps to keep me happy. in my opinion it was already enough of a small super computer

 

I rooted my Evo about 5 minutes after opening the box back when I got it haha. But I had an Android phone or two before that, which I also rooted.

These days there are one-click solutions for rooting as have been previously mentioned. I prefer the unrevoked app as it gives full root with S-OFF, custom recovery, etc all in one press of a button. Check it out at http://unrevoked.com *NOTE: Unrevoked only supports HTC phones*

@chainstretcher You can improve battery performance by rooting. There are loads of custom kernels out that highly effect the battery usage. I would give a shot if I were you. My Evo thanked me long ago.