Rooting an Android phone... found out why today

[mdram]

the hotspot will not be free after may 15th

Verizon Offering FREE Mobile Hotspot From March 17 Through May 15

ive seen this date other places, but cant find them atm

oh at rooting doesnt change much, just allows you to install programs that require more permissions
now flashing changes things

 

[TheForce]

not so. to use the built in it costs $20 for 2gb per month

Yeah, that's what they charge me on my 5spot Mobile hotspot. Not so on the Thunderbolt where "Mobile Hotspot" is listed in the included features. I do pay $30/month for unlimited (grandfathered in) data.

The Verizon rep said when my contract is up ( 2 years), they may start charging me for the mobile hotspot but I am good for the duration. The only grandfather clause is for the unlimited data, not the mobile hotspot software rental. He also said that under my contract, my unlimited is protected as long as I don't change or drop it.


Sometimes things change for the better. I had my Dell laptop with built in EVDO card and while it was grandfathered in unlimited, it was at $59 a month. The 5spot I have and my LTE cell phone is faster and cheaper, so I dropped the Dell built in card service and have been using it tethered. When my mobile hotspot contract expires in 2013 I may find they no longer charge for it or new LTE phones have it just built in like stock market tracking software. 2 years from now is a long time of change in Android technology.

 

[TheForce]

mdram- if what you say is true, then I may be researching wifi hotspots apps for LTE soon. Cross that bridge when I get there. Meanwhile my service contract says it's included.

 

[TheForce]

Here's a question for you tethering and android rooting experts- In a very brief search I did note reading in several places that Android v 2.2 (Froyo) has wifi tethering built in and does not need to be rooted to use tethering apps. Were you all aware of this? Thunderbolt is at v 2.2.1 I'm still searching for apps that guarantee LTE access.

Update-
Android forums shows that no one has yet hacked the 2.2.1 wifi app yet. Seems the htc access I use is the only one so far which I can say works really great.

I haven't had my TBolt outside of LTE area yet so I'm curious to see how it performs on the old 3G network. I have to go out of town this evening so I may have some time to test it on the road.

 

[mdram]

the built in is what is paid for iirc

for free you need to go root
i use barnacle

they all SHOULD work with lte

 

[mdram]

here ya go, found the official press release

The ThunderBolt™ By HTC, The First 4G LTE Smartphone For Verizon Wireless Arrives March 17

obile Hotspot allows users to connect up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the nation’s fastest wireless network via an application available on the ThunderBolt by HTC. Mobile Hotspot will be included through May 15 for no additional charge.

 

[Hall]

Here's a question for you tethering and android rooting experts- In a very brief search I did note reading in several places that Android v 2.2 (Froyo) has wifi tethering built in and does not need to be rooted to use tethering apps.

See my comment below... Sticking point here is how do you get "Froyo" ? I don't know what the T-Bolt comes with from VZW, but if it's older, you can't install Froyo -- without root !

Were you all aware of this?

I'd venture to say that most of us that are rooted don't know what a "stock" ROM is capable of !

 

[TheForce]

mdram- Thanks for the official source.

Mobile Hotspot allows users to connect up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the nation’s fastest wireless network via an application available on the ThunderBolt by HTC. Mobile Hotspot will be included through May 15 for no additional charge.

The way the salesman said I can sign up for the free service until May. After that they haven't decided if new buyers will be having to pay for it. I took that to mean it was a freebie for those to buy the phone now. Anyway, time to do some homework on this now. I'll play Bob Haller in this instance and plan for the worst.

I saw one more thing in the quote that is interesting. They say up to 8 devices and the salesman said the same thing but when I tried it wouldn't do more than 5. I figured the salesman mis-stated but I see now it is speced at 8. Not that I really care as I can only see using 3 maximum and then I wish for a way to shut it down to one connection for security reasons.

I read several forums worth on LTE wifi hotspots and they are all unable to work with Verizon LTE so far. I say give 'em a few weeks and they'll have something out. Also, so far there isn't a root for Thunderbolt. Also, maybe too knew.



Hall- Being new to the menu of Android- I thought Froyo is version 2.2.1. My Thunderbolt came with it. 2.2.1 that is, The word Froyo is what many here use and I read somewhere that Android V 2.2.1 is Froyo. It that incorrect?

 

[mdram]

im almost certain there is a root
i beleive it was rooted within hours of release

but xda is down atm

 

[Ronnie-]

Hall- Being new to the menu of Android- I thought Froyo is version 2.2.1. My Thunderbolt came with it. 2.2.1 that is, The word Froyo is what many here use and I read somewhere that Android V 2.2.1 is Froyo. It that incorrect?

2.2.1 is Froyo, that is what you have on your phone at the moment.

 

[Steve Mehs]

Hall- Being new to the menu of Android- I thought Froyo is version 2.2.1. My Thunderbolt came with it. 2.2.1 that is, The word Froyo is what many here use and I read somewhere that Android V 2.2.1 is Froyo. It that incorrect?

Froyo = Frozen Yogurt = Android 2.2. 2.2.2 is the most recent reversion of Froyo, looks like your running 2.2.1.


1.1 – Brownie
1.5 – Cupcake
1.6 – Donut
2.0/2.1 – Éclair
2.2 – Frozen Yogurt
2.3 – Gingerbread
3.0 – Honeycomb
3.X – Ice Cream Sandwich
X.X - Jellybean

See the pattern

Here's my prediction for much farther down the road Android version. Key Lime Pie, Lemondrop, Milkshake. Wonder what they'll do when they hit the letter Q

 

[diogen]

2.3 – Gingerbread
3.0 – Honeycomb

With a clear indication that Android is going to be split between smartphone and tablet versions, this "dessert" rule might not apply for long...
There is talk for a while about Android 2.4 that will also be called Gingerbread and designed to solve one problem: running dual-core apps on single core devices.
Android 2.4 coming April, leaving 2.3 dead on arrival - not Ice Cream - Pocket-lint

Not unlike 2.0 and 2.1 both called Éclair...

Diogen.

 

[charper1]

maybe Quince? (although a fruit)

 

[TheForce]

How about Quiche? Thanks Steve for the explanation. It's as goofy as Apple OS names.

 

[Steve Mehs]

For the past 3 days just about every second of my free time has been dedicated to rooting my Evo and running custom ROMs. My final thought, the whole this is just stupid and a huge waste of time when the stock ROM actually works, unlike custom ROMs.
I’m running the Cyangen its whatever it’s called ROM with Gingerbread again. The whole thing sucks. The GPS issue is just inexcusable. Why can’t these genius programmers who develop these ROMs fix it? Why do I have to do some stupid PITA procedure to get it working? It works fine with the stock ROM. Why when I’m at either end of my home screens I have a quarter of an inch black vertical line like the background isn’t stretched enough when I set a background image from the Backgrounds app? Works fine with the stock ROM. Why can’t I remove the idiotic social networking apps? Sure I can install Titanium Back Up and remove Facebook and Twitter, but they’re back as soon as I reboot the phone, and the icons never go away. What’s up with that. And Beautiful Widgets is pure junk. It’s a half assed replacement for Sense and the animations are retarded and not as smooth as Sense. The Text Message and Email icons are just that, icons, not widgets telling you how many unread messages/emails you have, I can’t get the Visual Voice Mail app working period. How is this garbage any better than the stock ROM from Sprint and HTC?

I don’t even want to get into detail about the nightmare I had with Google Apps and actually getting Google Navigation installed, but then reverting back to the old style market. What a pain that all was. All for 3 days of my life I’ll never get back as I’m restoring back to the factory ROM. I just wish you Facebook and Twitter were optional and then I’d have no reason ever to waste my time with this rooting junk.

 

[mdram]

just because you root you dont have to install custom roms

 

[n0qcu]

I am rooted for two reasons:
Free 3g hotspot & the adblockers require root.
Other than that the stock rom works just fine no need to change to any thing else so I don't.

 

[Steve Mehs]

I know. But then what's the point? I have no interest in wireless tethering, no interest in overclocking. If the processor was designed to operate at 1.2 GHz it would have been a 1.2 GHz processor, not 1.0. 100% of the reason was to remove Facebook, Friendstream, and whatever the Twitter app that comes with Android is called. Now that I’m rooted I can’t get the latest Sprint OTA update unless I unroot and I have no desire to spend an hour following a 200 step procedure on how to do that. When I get the Evo 3D, I can guarantee that will never be rooted.

 

[mdram]

I know. But then what's the point? I have no interest in wireless tethering, no interest in overclocking. If the processor was designed to operate at 1.2 GHz it would have been a 1.2 GHz processor, not 1.0. 100% of the reason was to remove Facebook, Friendstream, and whatever the Twitter app that comes with Android is called. Now that I’m rooted I can’t get the latest Sprint OTA update unless I unroot and I have no desire to spend an hour following a 200 set procedure on how to do that. When I get the Evo 3D, I can guarantee that will never be rooted.

there are ways to remove these things without flashing
i cant remember them

 

[Steve Mehs]

Believe me, I spent a long time searching after I first got my Evo. Rooting and using an app that requires root access is the only way to remove them. You don't have to flash the ROM you just need root access.