Looking for input on new phone.

[luciusad2004]

Consider what you gain vs what you lose when cracking the firmware. It's always cooler to be unlocked, jailbroken, rooted, hacked, modded, and customized ... no doubt. But it's less chill when your device no longer provides the same functionality it could without the hacking. You lose any benefits the proprietary operating model offers, if not immediately then on future upgrades. Then again, many devices never see any kind of official upgrade.

For sure. It's not so much that I want to root, but more that i would like to know it'll be possible if i ever need to. I'm mainly trying to future proof the phone by knowing that once verizon / the manufacturer decide that it's time for me to buy a new phone if i want continued updates, I Can root and install third party software. If i can get away without rooting in the mean time i most likely wont. The one thing that would drive me to root right away would be excessive amounts of crapware.

[Stonerboy779]

The one thing that would drive me to root right away would be excessive amounts of crapware.

The reason I root and install custom roms on all my android phones. Also running JB on gingerbread phones that will likely never see even ICS is a nice thing means you can keep them and use them far longer than normal. Then you add it all the tweaks that increase battery life, performance and overall useability it really outclasses the stock firmware.

[Konrad]

Are some carriers more mod-friendly than others? Are they able to detect when "nonstandard" devices are used on their networks, and how do they respond? If you actually own the device, do you have to "hide" the hacking from them?

[Stonerboy779]

Never known of a carrier ever knowing that you have done anything to a phone and I really don't think they could care less. If your phone can still make calls, send messages and suck data and they can charge you for it. Why on earth would they care one tiny bit what you use to do all that.

[AmEv]

Why on earth would they care one tiny bit what you use to do all that.

Big-name carriers would like it if you used THEIR app, instead of a more popular, more reliable equivalent. Money in their pockets.

Such as VZ Navigator. Seems to be a pay-for-using-it app; don't quote me on that. Google Maps, free, reliable, TBT navigation built-in. Thus, when you're not using Navigator, they're not getting the money.

[luciusad2004]

Big-name carriers would like it if you used THEIR app, instead of a more popular, more reliable equivalent. Money in their pockets.

Such as VZ Navigator. Seems to be a pay-for-using-it app; don't quote me on that. Google Maps, free, reliable, TBT navigation built-in. Thus, when you're not using Navigator, they're not getting the money.

Yup. Another example, I'm pretty sure that Google Wallet w/ the NFC payment isn't approved on Verizon but Verizon has a competing service that is approved. I'm not sure how the Verizon service works but i don't know why i would want to choose that over Google Wallet. Not that Verizon cares, they just want to charge for the "convenience."

[Stonerboy779]

Da.n american carriers are in a messed up state then.

[Konrad]

I suppose it depends on the specific arrangements the carrier has with the device and app makers, including all the junkware. They might have put themselves into a constraining position which obligates them to maximize all the subscriptions and per-per-use they can shovel out.

My experience is that people with Authoritah are sometimes anal every time they see other people colouring outside the lines, just because they can (or think they have to) control the system. Sometimes the retailers are cool and just play dumb, pretending they never thought of it or "didn't hear that", other times they're real hardasses who'll automatically flag you in their system as a troublemaking dirty ne'er-do-well for even daring to ask.

[TLHarrell]

VZ Navigator is old tech, designed for the day before smart, or even semi-smart, phones came along. It works over their proprietary system and gets location based off cell towers. Of course, my shiny new smartphone came with Google Maps, but turn by turn Navigation unavailable by default. Of course, they also want you to use their old proprietary ringtone service, which now you can't even preview a list of what's available without spending money first (a large package of credits). This is why I rooted so very soon after purchase.

[AmEv]

Yeah, I would have rooted my dad's phone a long time ago, if it weren't for the simple fact that it's his work phone...

He does keep asking me how to uninstall the crapps, though... BlockBuster, N4S, why does he need it?