[freeman0189]

I am currently on stock AT&T 4.1.8.3 (Froyo) and I would like to upgrade to Gingerbread. But I've read that the Gingerbread causes a lot of problems unless you do a factory reset, but I don't want to lose all my apps and data. So I want to backup my phone before doing the factory reset, either before or after updating to Gingerbread.

What's the best way to do this?

Should I root and install Titanium Backup? Should I do this before or after upgrading to Gingerbread?

Or are there ways to backup without root?

[robkort]

Root and unlock the booth loader if you want a custom ROM. I have to tell you that unlocking the bootloader will void the warranty and is irreversible. The first thing you want to do is root and install Titanium to back up everything for sure.

Sent from my TapadaAtrix

[JohnnyUtah]

You don't need to root to upgrade to GB, nor should you need to do a factory reset after the upgrade. If you're a basic user who doesn't need to use root and do decide you need to factory reset then just use "My Backup" found in app market.