Rooting: It's not just for greenthumbs.

"What is rooting?" This is a question I've heard quite a lot, recently, and is coming up now that the DMCA is coming up for a re-vote (of sorts). While there are more than a few people up in arms about the possibly de-legalization of rooting a phone, I know there are just as many if not more people wondering what it is and why it will affect them.

Plain and simple, rooting is the act of taking a smartphone, and giving yourself (the user) absolutely full access to the device. If you're not using a smartphone, you don't have to worry about this: you already have access to all the features a regular phone can offer. You can call, send texts, and even take and send pictures. For those of us with an Android or iPhone, this is definitely not the case. We, like a normal phone user, can make calls, send and receive texts, but beyond that, we can use applications designed for our phones that give it even more functionality.

The major difference is that there are some features on a smart phone that are disabled, or limited, by default. Most carriers may unlock these features for a fee, usually monthly. Others may choose to disable them altogether. This is similar to buying a Dell laptop and having to pay them a monthly fee in order to use the wireless card that's been pre-installed. While that example doesn't happen with consumer computers, a smartphone user will find himself trapped if he doesn't give in to his carrier's wants. This is where rooting comes into play.

Users may root their phones to backup their device (for Android and iPhone, alike), unlock said functionality for free, or even change the overall software of the device to suit their needs. While the first two examples are relatively simple, the last one takes some foreknowledge before stepping into the realm of custom ROMs.

Before I dive any deeper into this ocean, I'd like to post a caveat: Rooting your phone will void your warranty. Yes, it's a sad fact that taking complete ownership of something you purchased will void any warranty, expressed or implied, by both the manufacturer and the carrier. Some manufacturers are a little more lenient when it comes to repairing rooted devices, while their carrier counterparts are less than thrilled when you circumvent their systems to avoid paying an extra $30 a month for a "free" feature. For these reasons, I only recommend rooting to someone with either the right technical knowledge, or who has done adequate research into this subject.That being said, here goes:

Certain devices are easier to root than others, simply requiring a software download and a button push. Others are more in-depth. Since this depends solely on the specific device in question, I'll skip this part, and as to not incur the wrath of the technology gods with lawsuits and website shutdown CNDs. Assuming the rooting process went swimmingly, a user should now be able to backup their phone. What does this mean? For Android devices, a complete copy of the phone may be created in the off chance that lightning strikes and corrupts data. Or, this could simply be saved for when a new device is purchased (of the same type), rooted, and no data is lost in transition.

Well, what about those "features" I mentioned earlier? There are plenty of applications in the Market, and some featured in online developer forums, that will unlock a feature if it is limited or locked, by default. Depending upon the unit in question, this may range from using the built-in "flash" LEDs as a flashlight, to using the phone as a mobile wireless internet "hot spot" in order to get online with your laptop without even plugging it in.

Lastly, there are the custom ROMs. These are custom made installations of the operating system for the device, the most famous being Cyanogen Mod. This is a "vanilla," or stock, Android interface that often contains the very latest operating system information available for a device. There are device specific ROMs, as well. If the device is from Motorola, a ROM utilizing their Moto-Blur would usually be available. For HTC, there are "Sense" and "Sense-less" ROMs that feature HTC's famous Android skin, or not, if you prefer the usability of the original operating system with the standard Android style. The use of available ROMs can sometimes be quite dizzying, as many of them look similar, in most respect, but have vast differences as to stability and usability. This is where the research aspect comes in, and I would suggest that anyone thinking of installing a custom ROM do at least 10 hours of research before choosing one. I also recommend choosing three different ROMs, just in case one doesn't work out, or work as advertised.

Well, that's it. I hope this was informative to those who may be interested in rooting their device, or even wondering if it's possible. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to post them in the comments, below.

This is the Mad Technologist, logging out.

Welcome to the new blog

First of all, welcome to the blog. Before I delve into the wonderful world of technology, I'd like to spend some time discussing the driving force behind this blog, and a little about me, as well.

I am a computer engineer who has a strong background in robotics and computer technology, with nearly a decade's worth of experience in both technical support, and as a personal technology assistant. For now, I think that's all I need to reveal about myself.

As far as the reason behind this, very early on, I was mentored by a very dear friend of my family. It's hard to put into words how much he affected me, and I wish I could say more, but the as of right now, I find it incredibly difficult due to the fact that very recently, he succumbed to a very quick illness that went unnoticed until it was too late.

Dr Mike was the man who helped me shape my educational path, though our fields of study were completely different. He never hesitated to support me in my educational endeavors, and in fact, there was more than one incident where I had to lean on him for advice.

In that, this blog is a direct result of the impact Dr Mike had on my life, and I now hope that I can do the same to someone else who may be inspired to pursue a further understanding of science and technology.

That's all, for now, and I hope to see you back here and help teach you about this rapidly changing world of technology we all live in.