Disclaimer: What you do with your phone is on
YOU. This type of stuff can turn your device into an expensive paper-weight. It's also a violation of this and that. I'm providing this information for educational purposes, etc. (I'm going to have to insert this type of thing into the beginning of a bunch of posts,
aren't I?)
So, I rooted my G1. I've been putting it off because I was afraid hacking might cause some problems that would inhibit my reviews or give me a different experience than the majority of you. So far, the opposite has turned out to be true.
Before modding, I had two major issues that drove me crazy. The first - and most troublesome in terms of interrupting my work - was that I couldn't see a lot of apps in the Market that were available to the rest of you. I wanted to upgrade Power Manager to pro, but when I clicked the update button, I was informed that the program was not found in the Market. This happened every day, with dozens of apps. It didn't matter if I followed a QR link from a website, a notification in aTrack Dog, or a prompt from the Android Market's own version-checker.
I spent some time trying to chase this down, but it didn't seem like an acknowledged problem. Users popped up here and there complaining of one or two missing apps, and those offering support looked at the problem on a per-app basis. I never saw anyone saying that they were missing out on all of the most exciting new releases. But I probably spend a lot more time in the Market than the average user.
I gave up on the second issue long ago. Importing contacts from my SIM and sometimes even adding a new contact resulted in a force close of my contact book. The exact errors changed, but the behavior was the same. Most of the time, I could not save a new number to my phone - even after a factory wipe. I stuck with the short-list that I was able to add, and forgot about it.
After a few hours of reading, rebooting, transferring files, etc. I now have a rooted G1. Both the missing app and borked contact list problems have been repaired. Wow, I forgot how many people I know. The downside to this is that I wasn't able to purchase the pro versions of the Market's back-up apps first. It doesn't make that much of a difference though, because to make a
complete backup of your G1, you need root access.
I've lost my contact photo associations and apps and all of that stuff. But it's O.K. The first thing I'll do after rearranging the phone to my tastes is to make a backup image of the. whole. entire. phone. state. Thank you,
xda-developers,
Android-DLs.com, and all of the brilliant people working on this stuff.
My Android gripes are gone and I'm looking at some nice new possibilities: multi-touch, screenshots, device back-ups, tethering, and loads of other goodies. I'm glad I waited. There's actually an app for auto-upgrading the modded OS now. I haven't been on long enough to use it yet, but... wow.
OSS, FTW!
John Walton - Cell phone editor
John Walton is a student and writer who spends most of his free time fingerpicking an acoustic guitar and authoring biographical snippets in the third-person. He lives with his wife and their cat,...
You should really do an article that lists the top 10 apps for android(in your opinion).
Cnet and other sites have done that, but none of the authors used the G1 for 6 months and got to see the real advantages of the device. I plan on making my own list on my site nicholasbobo.wordpress.com. I just want to compare and maybe check some new apps out. Its just an idea though. Thanks!!
-Nicholas.
Also, what are some things you would recommend me getting now with a rooted G1. I have multi-touch and auto-rotate. However I disabled my auto rotate quickly because it got annoying. Like you, I am still exploring the advantages of having a rooted G1. Anything that you think is a must get now, please let me know! :)
Also, I to live in PDX :)
I've got a post cooking that covers just the things you asked about. Two off the top of my head - a task manager that lets you kill apps, and the ability to use your SD card as swap space. I'm not sure on the quality/usefulness of the second one - need to test it out more.
Screenshots, tethering, and *complete* device back-ups (system snapshots) are also possible. I will cover those individually.
Thanks for reading and for your input.
Thanks alot for answering my curiosities!
Playing ignorant because I haven't picked one up an adroid phone yet, but it sounds like rooting the device requires the reinstallation of all apps and recustomizing of contacts?
The big question along those lines: when would you recommend interested parties consider modding their phone?
- Do you think you waited too long to mod your G1?
- Do you suggest interested parties do it right away?
- Is a short 'stock android' period a good idea to try?
Dont mind me, I'm nosy :)
Yes, all apps have to be reinstalled. You can use MyBackup Pro to back up programs though. I think it's a good idea to back up any and every thing you can on your device anyway - even if you aren't modding. The good rooting guides tell you to format the SD card first - so might as well back that thing up on a computer.
I should also point out that modders want you to use a USB cable with a ferrite core and a bunch of other specs. This is to avoid data loss when prepping the update files. Putting the SD card in an adaptor and into the computer seems a safer bet.
- Do you think you waited too long to mod your G1?
I would have liked to have gotten into it sooner, but it's not the kind of thing that should be taken lightly - especially if your work depends on your phone! The hacks are really good now - and are likely less problematic than they may have been earlier. (Didn't try it before, so I don't know.)
- Do you suggest interested parties do it right away?
NO. If you don't know your G1's limitations, why bother removing them? If you love your new device, why risk breaking it? I have spare phones. I was prepared to lose the G1. It worked out well for me, but go search forums where people discuss rooted G1's. They are filled with questions from panicked users who can't get their phone to run. They broke the warranty so... time to buy a new one.
- Is a short 'stock android' period a good idea to try?
YES. I waited six months, and finally jumped in knowing I could be stuck with a BROKEN PHONE. There is no reason to root a G1 unless you know that phone inside and out. I don't claim to be a a G1 know-it-all, but I am pretty familiar with the phone's strengths ans weaknesses.
Let me know if there are any other questions. And thanks for letting me know what i should address in these kinds of posts. Have a great weekend.