Hi. I've had my Epic for several months now. I've thought about rooting for a while and I think I may finally be ready to do so. I'm tired of having issues with my GPS and I'd like to be able to use the wireless tether. I do have a couple questions first, though, before I start.
See, I'd like to be able to save the data already on my phone. I've got numerous contacts and media files on there plus several paid aps from the store. Will I be able to use these if I root my phone? Is there a way to be able to get tethering and a fixed GPS and still keep the programs if I can't keep them when rooting?
From what I've read here and at the XDA forums it sounds like the Epic is pretty resilient when it comes to "bricking." It sounds like even if you screw a whole bunch of stuff up you can still get it back to factory settings with relative ease. Is this true for all ROMs or are some more unstable and likely to cause actual bricking than others? A had a friend who was running Cyanogen, but he's also a software developer and knows this stuff like the back of his hand. I'm a chemist. I know molecules. I've got a basic understanding of computer stuff, but when it comes to command line stuff I'm mostly clueless.
Finally, and this is probably mostly stupid, but I've come to really love the "swype" functionality of the Epic. Do any of the ROMs offer this or will I have to get a swype knock-off from the market?
I've just ordered a new USB cable for my phone from monoprice that should be here later this week and once that arrives I think I'll be ready to start trying stuff. I look forward to your help since I'm nearly 100% certain I'll need it.