To Root or not to Root.

[manicalchemist]

As I said in one of my previous posts, I am new to the whole Android thing.
So far I'm liking my HTC Inspire, however, being the geek that I am.....I need more.
I can't stand the "bloatware" apps on the phone. It makes things look cluttered. I won't be using them so why have them. I also want faster loading when I turn my phone on. The battery seems to die quicker than I thought, and I want to make sure I don't go over my monthly data,which is the 2GB plan from AT&T.
I've been reading through forums and a lot of them suggest Rooting.
What would you suggest?
What is the best and simplistic way, best ROM to choose, and which is easier to unroot if I decide this phone is not the one for me and need to return it ?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Suprtrukr425]

To Root: Go here, and COMPLETELY read all instructions before beginning. [TOOL] Advanced Ace Hack Kit (UPDATED 19-09-2011) - xda-developers

To Unroot: Go here, and again read ALL instructions before beginning. [TOOL][Updated 21-AUG-2011]Inspire Factory Reset/S-ON tool. GB and FR versions. - xda-developers

Endless information about all things Inspire can be found starting here. HTC Inspire 4G - xda-developers (Make sure to use search function before starting new threads!)

I love my rooted phone. I feel like I have more control over everything. When your looking for a rom start here: Inspire 4G Android Development - xda-developers

I would recomend Android Revolution If you like sense, and CM7 if you want a themeable stockish gingerbread experience. MIUI is kinda Iphoneish, not bad just wasn't my style.

As far as pros/cons go...Pros are complete control of your phone, meaning you can change virtually anything about it. It may take some research to do some advanced things, but if there's something you don't like, chances are you can fix that somehow. Cons are that some people think it makes your phone vunerable to spyware/malware (truth is those can get you even if you don't root, always be carefull about the apps you use). There IS a possibility that doing this can break your phone. It does happen. More than likely it won't as long as you follow ALL directions proplerly. It will probably take you a few tries to find a rom you like, and sometimes it can be overwhelming and kind of a pain. Some roms are more stable than others, and some have more features than others.

Overall I hope this helps you out. I have been very happy with my phone since I rooted it.

 

[manicalchemist]

To Root: Go here, and COMPLETELY read all instructions before beginning. [TOOL] Advanced Ace Hack Kit (UPDATED 19-09-2011) - xda-developers

To Unroot: Go here, and again read ALL instructions before beginning. [TOOL][Updated 21-AUG-2011]Inspire Factory Reset/S-ON tool. GB and FR versions. - xda-developers

Endless information about all things Inspire can be found starting here. HTC Inspire 4G - xda-developers (Make sure to use search function before starting new threads!)

I love my rooted phone. I feel like I have more control over everything. When your looking for a rom start here: Inspire 4G Android Development - xda-developers

I would recomend Android Revolution If you like sense, and CM7 if you want a themeable stockish gingerbread experience. MIUI is kinda Iphoneish, not bad just wasn't my style.

As far as pros/cons go...Pros are complete control of your phone, meaning you can change virtually anything about it. It may take some research to do some advanced things, but if there's something you don't like, chances are you can fix that somehow. Cons are that some people think it makes your phone vunerable to spyware/malware (truth is those can geti you even if you don't root, always be carefull about the apps you use). There IS a possibility that doing this can break your phone. It does happen. More than likely it won't as long as you follow ALL directions proplerly. It will probably take you a few tries to find a rom you like, and sometimes it can be overwhelming and kind of a pain. Some roms are more stable than others, and some have more features than others.

Overall I hope this helps you out. I have been very happy with my phone since I rooted it.

Thank you for all the info. I actually rooted my phone last night, to see if I could. It went smoothly. However, it said my SD card was corrupted.
From there, I installed the CM7. At first I had a boot-loop, but fixed it. It was ok, but I didnt care for the hellafied small key board.
I also ended up unrooting, also to see how to do it. That went smoothly as well. The down side, though: I do lose all of my market apps (I have the backed up on my computer via my phone explorer - but it won't restore the apps) no real biggie...they were free apps.
I may try rooting again tonight and decide on the Rom I want.

 

[Jimbo5000]

You'll definitely like a product like Titanium Backup if you venture down the root path to testing different ROM's. It definitely is a timesaver the more apps you end up loading on your phone. If you haven't stumbled across them yet, other apps you might like messing around with could be: Astro File Manager; Juice Defender; SetCPU, ROM Manager (sometimes comes along with various ROM's. Other apps I like or have been toying with lately: BatteryCalibration, Call Control, GPS Status, IHeartRadio, Quote Pro (stocks), Shazam, Swype and Where's My Droid. Have fun!

 

[manicalchemist]

Ok, right now...I am running MIUI, and I must say...I actually like it. True, it is iPhone-ish, but I found so many kicka55 themes, I can over look it.

Rerooted, no SD card corruption this time....w00t!