Rooted and Overclocked?

[Sweet Kitten Feet]

Let me preface by saying I used the search feature under FAQ's and got no returns.

I keep seeing some neat features on some threads here and a lot them refer to "rooted" and/or "overclocked."

Can someone explain that to me? I'm not IT guy, but I'm pretty techincally proficient so I think I can probably understand a good explanation.

 

[pc747]

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/ha...android-backups-custom-roms-etc-easy-way.html

hope it help any more ?s ill try to find some more links for you

 

[Tatootie]

Are you serious?

 

[Sweet Kitten Feet]

Are you serious?

Yes. I am. This is my first smart phone so the learning curve will be steep for me.

Thanks for your help though, I really appreciate it.

 

[droider4life]

Let me preface by saying I used the search feature under FAQ's and got no returns.

I keep seeing some neat features on some threads here and a lot them refer to "rooted" and/or "overclocked."

Can someone explain that to me? I'm not IT guy, but I'm pretty techincally proficient so I think I can probably understand a good explanation.

First off welcome to the forums... good to have you here!! Secondly, the easiest way to explain what root is would be by saying "It is to give you Full access to Everything on your phone which gives you the capabilities to change anything you want to change" and as for Overclocking "that is cranking up the cpu to run at maximum speeds" which in turn speeds up the phone... Just to put it into lamens terms for you!!

Edit: it looks like pilot has you hooked up with the good information already.. ur in good hands it seems!!

 

[Sweet Kitten Feet]

Pilot and Droider, thanks. Watching the videos right now.

 

[Tatootie]

Are you serious?

Yes. I am. This is my first smart phone so the learning curve will be steep for me.

Thanks for your help though, I really appreciate it.

sorry - I didnt mean to come off as a smart @$$
Just when you said you searched already, I thought you were kidding because almost every post on this site is about rooting, so there is a wealth of info available from doing a search.

 

[Sam]

Are you serious?

Yes. I am. This is my first smart phone so the learning curve will be steep for me.

Thanks for your help though, I really appreciate it.

sorry - I didnt mean to come off as a smart @$$
Just when you said you searched already, I thought you were kidding because almost every post on this site is about rooting, so there is a wealth of info available from doing a search.

yeah, i read that as harsh too.. things can be taken the wrong way when you aren't sitting face to face, it seems

as a side note.. overclocking is not possible without first being rooted.

i saw a good explanation of "root" in the second post of this thread by r-dubya:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-general-discussions/24969-time-ask-about-rooted.html

 

[Sweet Kitten Feet]

tattooie, no problem. Yeah I went to the FAQ section typed "root" in the search field and nothing came up. Temporary glitch maybe?

Anyway, those videos helped. Still not exactly sure what the overall benefit would for me except that I'd be able to do more cool stuff on it. But I'm really getting this as more of a tool than a toy. But hey, if it can do both, why not?

 

[pc747]

tattooie, no problem. Yeah I went to the FAQ section typed "root" in the search field and nothing came up. Temporary glitch maybe?

Anyway, those videos helped. Still not exactly sure what the overall benefit would for me except that I'd be able to do more cool stuff on it. But I'm really getting this as more of a tool than a toy. But hey, if it can do both, why not?

To be honest with you rooting is has a good/bad and i will list it from what i have experienced.
1) + root access allow you to install roms -it can cause your phone to lock up requiring battery pulls and you will not get the ota updates sent by vzw

2) + overclock (speed up processor) allow your phone and internet to work faster. - must monitor temperature so to not burn up phone and burns battery

3) multitouch browser
4) + live wall papers - drains battery quicker
5) + more home screens, but you can get that with home replacement apps from the market

6) + wifi tethering - ?s about how much you can tether with out vzw finding out and charging you for it

7) + custom themes
8) must unroot before taking back to vzw before service because it voids warranty.

 

[Tatootie]

for the wifi tethering alone I think its worth it.I came from a touch pro before the droid and I was able to. I was really bummed that our druids couldn't.
i used sholes mod which is now called droid mod, which made rooting soridiculously easy.
then overclocking blew it out of the park.

 

[zakany]

...almost every post on this site is about rooting...

But very few explain what rooting is.

Android is a Linux-based OS. By default, you cannot damage the system files as a regular user of the system. The OS won't allow it. However, "root" can alter, damage and destroy the system files. Root is like an administrator on a Windows machine, if that helps.

By gaining root access, you allow yourself the ability to alter the system files on your phone. That can be very useful and fun. It can also leave your phone brain-dead. One reason to become a root user is to install different operating systems.

Overclocking is easier to explain. It is merely running your device at a higher frequency than stock speeds.

Imagine you have a snot-nosed boy putting marbles in a bucket. He puts in one per second. You don't like having to wait so long for your bucket o' marbles so you smack him with a riding crop to encourage him to pick up the pace and put two marbles in the bucket every second.

You've overclocked the boy. And, consequently, receive buckets of marbles quicker, which makes you happy.

 

[Backnblack]

You've overclocked the boy. And, consequently, receive buckets of marbles quicker, which makes you happy.

And he can get tired and overheat quicker....

 

[pc747]

You've overclocked the boy. And, consequently, receive buckets of marbles quicker, which makes you happy.

And he can get tired and overheat quicker....

I manage my o/c to try to eliminate the unnecessary stress on my processor. I do not need to be o/c for calls, texting, or regular navigation of the phone. The only time i o/c is for internet use. Other then that Im at 600. When I am streaming music through pandora or sports from moodio.fm the phone is more then capable to operate at the set processing speed, so I do not see any reason to have it set above 600 for those operations.

 

[zakany]

There's a limit to how hard you can hit the boy. At a certain point, you just bludgeon him to death and get no more marbles. When you knock him unconscious, just back off a bit on how often you beat him. You'll find a pace that keeps him alive but faster than he'd be without the constant whipping.

That's known as tuning your overclock.

Every slave lad is different, too. Just because your friend can beat his silly with a baseball bat doesn't mean yours will survive such abuse.

--

To put numbers to it, your phone runs at 550 Mhz. Almost all Droid processors function quite well at that frequency, so Motorola doesn't have to worry about returns. However, most Droid processors can run at higher frequencies than that. No one bothers to test them and sort them (yet).

Many people seem to have no problem running their Droids at 800 Mhz (which is significantly quicker than 550 Mhz). Some have been able to push it further: 1000, 1100, 1300 Mhz. I don't think anyone is modifying the potential, or voltages, of their CPUs so it's just a frequency tolerance (you can increase a CPU's frequency tolerance by increasing its potential, but this also creates more heat which is also a limiting factor - we do this as a matter of course with computers).

All this reminds me of one of my electrical engineers. He thinks I'm a bit...adventurous...when I overclock my computer and burn custom ROMs on my graphics cards all in the name of getting the most out of my iron. Overclocking a phone is just crazy talk to him.

We do what we must because we can.
- GLADOS