Make the Most of your Android

Aside from the many, many apps available to make your phone better and more useful (like gmote, angry birds, evernote, iSearch, tunewiki, launcherpro, dolphin browser, etc), there is also the more 'advanced,' 'techie' thing you've always heard of and meant to research. Rooting. And whatnot.

There are plenty of guides explaining what rooting is and how to do it (see http://forum.xda-developers.com), but... who cares, and why should you?

1. Free Wifi Tether regardless of network
2. Faster phone
3. Better battery life
4. Backup ALL your data with one click
5. Better UI and overall phone experience :)

So when you decide to take this plunge, what does it mean?

-Approx 1 hour of total time commitment, up to 3
-Void your warranty, BUT YOU CAN REVERT and UN-void it

Here's an example of someone's signature on the techie forums:

[ROM] Cyanogenmod 6.0.2 (Froyo)
[Recovery] ClockWorkMod 2.5.0.5
[Radio] 2.15.00.07.28 (Thanks adrynalyne)
[Launcher] LauncherPro v0.7.8.1
[Storage] 32GB Sandisk Micro SDHC Class 4
[Kernel] KingxKlick BFS #1 "Told you so" 1.113 OC/UV
[Status] S-off w/ Unrevoked forever

You may notice that a couple things, like a 32GB microSD card and Launcher Pro, you can get right now. And you should. (PM me to buy a 32GB card for $60). Launcher Pro is free on the market.

But for all the other stuff, ROM, Recovery, custom Radio / Kernel, you need to ROOT. The easiest way to do that is with http://www.unrevoked.com/

ROOT in 5 Minutes

It literally takes about 3 clicks before you're rooting if you use unrevoked. Unless you've already done so, you should first install these drivers.

If you need more info/instructions, or still aren't sold on Rooting, go here.

Install a Recovery Mod to backup your phone in one click (and flash a new ROM)

After rooting simply download "Superuser" from the marketplace, install, and then also get "Clockwork Recovery Mod" from the market. Install.

In Clockwork Recovery Mod you can install a recovery partition with one click that will allow you to backup your entire phone to an SD card, and flash new ROMs etc.

ROMs

Think of a ROM as another version of Windows or Mac (Leopard, 7 versus XP, etc.)... but free.

There are tons of them out there (for example:
http://theunlockr.com/downloads/android-downloads/android-roms/
http://www.theincrediblelist.com/roms/ )
But let me save you hours of reading the forums and testing different ones... and just tell you which one is the best:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=764787

Just read his post and follow the instructions - you'll be up and running in no time :)

Remember to backup your device before you flash a ROM - and download a neat app called "Titanium backup" to backup all your apps + data before flashing a new ROM. There is also an alternative called "AppBrain" which I've heard good things about.

Enjoy your new and improved Incredible!!


Finally, if you don't have time to root and flash a ROM but want the Android Wifi Tether application, use the QR code below (with the app: "barcode scanner"):

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