Benefits of Rooting Your Android Devices

 A lot of attention has been devote to tablets of late.  And one of the decisions I'll have to make is which iPad from Apple I will be getting.  The debate isn't which iPad to get in terms of memory size but whether I ought to get the Wi-Fi version or the Wi-Fi+3G version.

Obviously, the 3G version allows me to connect to the Internet all the time wherever I go.  On the other hand, the Wi-Fi version limits where I can go if I want to access the Internet.  But I've got a secret weapon and if you've been following On Android, you'll know what I'm talking.

I've got a rooted G1.  And I've put it to good use.  It allows 3G-tethering.  Because of this, I can decide which model of the iPad I need since I can simply tether the Wi-Fi only iPad to the G1 whenever I need to access the Internet.

Now I've come to the root of what I'm talking about:  rooting your G1 or Android device.  Without rooting the G1, I would be able to install the tethering app but not be able to use it.  Honestly, I don't know why that is, only that I know that's is required.

It is not an easy process to go through.  I've managed to brick the G1 a couple of times before getting it right.  There are plenty of instructions on how to root an Android device and it may depend on which model you have.  I'll let the more knowledgeable readers among us tell us if that's the case.

So I hesitate to provide links for this purpose.  I started by googling the relevant subject and looking for the best instructions on how to go about this.  Again, it took me three times to do this.

Let me say this.  I have no idea what I was doing.  But if I can do it and given the vast majority of the Android users are pretty sophisticated when it comes to some basic knowledge about OS, systems, and following directions, I'm sure you will not have any issue at all.

Tethering is one use that I have taken advantage of because of a rooted G1.  I am sure there are other uses that for a rooted Android device.  I was able to install the navigation app from Google before it became widely available for all Android devices because of rooting.

Anyway, I highly recommend it.  And if you can't do it yourself, ask a tech savy friend to help you out.  Take him or her out to dinner afterwards.