New to Rooting; have a few questions.

[Dan1192]

OK, so my GN is my first Android phone, and I'm thinking about Rooting it. Now I know what Rooting is, how to do it, etc. But I still have a few questions:

1) The main reason I want to Root my GN is to run Backtrack 5 on it. Has anyone here tried doing this yet? How do you like it?

2) I hear a lot about how people Root their phones in order to get custom ROMs. But I don't see anything wrong with the stock Android 4.0, so I really don't see a point to adding custom ROMs. Am I right to think this, or does anyone know of any custom ROMs that are truly amazing?

3) I've heard that if you want to still receive OTA updates, you'll need to unroot your phone. But I have a friend who Rooted his phone, but still automatically receives Google's updates with no problems. Anyone know how he did this?

 

[mclarryjr]

1. Sorry but I have never tried Backtrack
2. Your right stock is very good but the custom ROMs are even better (faster, smoother, better battery life, more customizable options to name a few reasons)
3. You will still get the OTA after rooting unless you flash a custom ROM, if you accept an OTA while rooted your device will unroot. Custom ROMs will always have the latest and greatest upgrades.

 

[greydarrah]

1. I have no idea what backtrack 5 is.

2. There are a number of reasons to try out different ROMs. Most of them are already using 4.0.3, so some of the issues in 4.0.2 are corrected, but the biggest reason is because they run smoother and faster than stock. Plus, it's fun to play with them...keeps the phone fresh and that keeps me from constantly jonesing for a new phone.

3. As long as your not running a custom ROM, you should still be able to receive an OTA update even though you are rooted (assuming you haven't deleted what little bloat is installed on the phone). You may or may not loose your root when you take the OTA, but it's easy to get back. You wont loose your unlock. However, if you are running a custom ROM, there's no need to get an OTA anyway, as you'll always be running a newer version of the OS than the OTA will provide (i.e. my ROM is running 4.0.3 while the latest OTA is 4.0.2)

 

[turdbogls]

with Roms, you can usually get the official OTA update before it is available to the public. you are also, always on the "cutting edge" of updates and new features.

 

[kashabrown]

I am an old Windows Slowbile fan - used to flash roms all the time on the old touch pro/touch pro2, etc.

I have never rooted before either - going to try my hand at a custom rom.....looking for some eye-candy - any suggestions on the best work out there?