Optimus S is arriving in the morning. First things I should do? Benefits of rooting?

[onlybuilt1906]

Given that Sprint is now giving this phone away for free, I bit the bullet and signed up. I'm coming from a Treo Pro and WinMo, so I'm brand spanking new to Android. However, I'm not new to customization, which is why I loved Windows Mobile so much.

My question is, what exactly is the benefit of rooting or installing a custom ROM on the Optimus S? Is the Optimus S severely crippled out-of-box? Is there one popular ROM for this phone that everyone is using?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Nick7]

Getting into the development community here will be of great benefit to you. I would recommend reading up on rooting and how a rooted phone can make your phone better in the ROMs and hacks section.

For a ROM you have several options. There are some flash 'n go options like ThundeROM and nROM and a kitchen style ROM called Lego ROM that offers a ton of customization. Check them out.

 

[ens04]

don't worry I also came from a Windows Mobile phone also and the Optimus S was also my first android phone that I ever had. Within a week of having the phone all I did was read the threads here on Android central & you will be on your way to customizing your phone the way you want it.

Rooting should be a simple process, just make sure you follow the steps carefully and you shouldnt have a problem.

 

[j37hr0]

No, it isn't crippled out of the box. My girlfriend and stepdaughter both have stock phones. I on the other hand, love screwing around and like having a rooted phone.

 

[og_president]

I am only showing you the versions of ROMs on V9

Benefits of Lego ROM:
LEGO-ROM-v1
Deodexed
Zipaligned
Zipalign on boot
PNG optimized
Superuser
Busybox
Minimum Memory adjusted for performance/battery
VM adjusted for battery
Boot sound muted
Easter Egg ringtone added
Sprintzone moved to data/app for removal
Sprint ID deleted
Protips deleted
LGSetupWizard deleted
Uses AOSP setup wizard
Email has EAS bypass
AppWidgetPicker included
VVM is updated
Gmail is updated
Vending is updated
Voicesearch is updated
Maps is updated
Custom notifications for - Gmail, Email, Gtalk, Market updates, SMS/MMS, Calendar events, voicemail
Launcher is gingerbread launcher themed in froyo


Benefits of Nrom:
v1.5.1
-Fixed wifi.
-Fixed accelerometer.
-Completely based off of VC. Works on v9 and VC radio/software versions.
-Old GB kb.
-Removed missed reminders. It kills battery.
-Fixed pattern/pin/password lockscreen bug.
-Uses some VC files.
-Edited build.prop to quit update notification. Thanks zefie!
-Added build.prop tweaker script by ruigui from XDA developers. Read my information page to learn how to use it.
-Updated zefie's kernel (007).
-Changed out GB kb for modded GB keyboard ( Has smilies ).
-Added LG Optimus 2x clock/weather widget.
-Added a terminal emulator ( use for build.prop tweaks ).
-Added missed reminders application.
+ Remove if it kills battery. Still testing this B.
-Added Spare Parts ( use this to change transition animations to "fast." And solve battery problems.)
-Added zefie's edit of my roaming app, looks great!
-Updated Market.
-Completely rebuilt ROM from scratch.
-Data wipe will no longer break ROM update.
-Added scripts that run at boot time
+Dalvik-cache bind mount to cache (scrapped init.rc edit).
+Zipalign at boot.
-Gingerbread kb is now default kb.
-Ported Gingerbread dalvikvm.
-Added music mod player.
-Updated boot logo.
-Some data apps moved back to system (swype, calc, roamaccess, vvm).
-Cleans out unused apps from previous flashes.
-Added reboot mod.
-Transparent notification window background.
-New boot animation.
-Updated some applications.
-No more crazy instructions. Straight forward flashing thanks to my custom shell script.
-Added white circle battery mod to theme.
-Added custom boot animation.
-Faster boot times.
-Updated ES file explorer and real calc.
-Released v1.3 as a patch in response to errors.
-Removed the Sprint boot logo. Thanks Joseph Mother! I will be making custom boot screens in the future.
-dalvik cache to /cache (free up memory for more applications).
-re-added stock keyboard.
-moved some applications to data so they can be uninstalled easily.
-updated ES file explorer.
-edited settings menu to not allow factory data wipe (in sort of a primitive way )
-added wireless tether application.
-Added zefies updated kernel - Xionia 005.
-Added ES file explorer (props to dev for fast and friendly response).
-Updated Market.
-Updated Maps.
-Updated Gmail.
-Updated YouTube.
-Updated Voicemail.
-Trimmed down boot.img a considerable amount.
-Replaced stock calculator with RealCalc.
-Added LGHiddenMenu Roam Access app.
-Added zefie's updated kernel - Xionia 004.
-Added version number to ROM name in build.prop
-Fixed WiFi proplems.
-Removed DeskClock app, replaced with AlarmClock. It's just not practical.
-Added LauncherPro as default home.
-Removed stagefright tweak. I really don't see any performance gain with it.
-Xionia kernel update 2. @_@
-Changed ROM name to "nROM" in build.prop
- Problems with wifi and tethering. Reverting to v0.4.1 for now.
-Added zefie's updated kernel. This should fix lag problems.
-Added clear-dalvik cache to update script to hopefully clear up booting issues.
-Got rid of Sprint ID.
-Added Zefie's OC kernel.
-Removed Sprint ID and some other invisible applications.
-Enabled JIT.
-Stagefright tweak.
-Based on v9 OTA Update (swype is standard).
-Rooted with SuperUser.apk.
-Remapped "voice" button to "call."
-Installed BusyBox.
-Zipaligned apks.
-Task killer tweak.
-Hardware acceleration enabled.
-Deodex'ed system
-Ported Burst GatorBoots theme (Sense-esque theme).
-Removed some junk apps.
-Removed boot sound. It's annoying.

you cant run thunder ROM on v9.

keep in mind that there is another ROM called "CM7" , but that is still in beta (being made) and it still lacks some features.


You can also update your phone to VC or VD but you must be on V9 to root. Most phones now come with VC or VD so you must then down grade to root. (then stay or upgrade).

As for the benefits of rooting, you are able to get a lot of apps that help your phone faster. (example "Setcpu")

So in Windows terms; think of rooting as becoming the Admin and no longer being a guest account.

 

[onlybuilt1906]

It's all a bit overwhleming. However, I do love the phone so far. That Sprint ID is nothing but bloatware. I'm going to take a few days to familiarize myself with Android. If I'm not asking too much, can someone explain what my phone can't do right now that it can do once rooted, or is it just an issue of memory, bloatware and performance?

 

[j37hr0]

root is the linux built in user account equivalent of administrator on a windows box. Rooting your phone gives you root user access. at that point you can make changes to the OS that your carrier may not want you to. So once rooted you can download titanium backup and backup all your apps and data, or move them to the SD card. download a custom recovery, and then install a new rom, and kernel, and overclock the processer to a faster speed. You can download an ad free app that will prevent ads from displaying on your phone. All sorts of stuff.