“Just recently I purchased an Android phone and I am absolutely loving it. This phone is extremely powerful and I am interested in seeing everything it is capable of. It would also be great to customize everything about the device to really make it my own. I know some smartphones, at least the iPhone, can be ‘jailbroken’ and completely customized but I have not heard much about this process on an Android phone. Is it possible? Is it easy? Is there a downside?”

--Rick Z.

Congratulations on your purchase, Android phones are quickly becoming a popular alternative to the iPhone and by all means can be “rooted” or “jailbroken”. These new smartphones are basically handheld computers and are capable of doing nearly anything on top of making phone calls. By rooting your Android you are basically giving yourself administrative power over the device, or complete control, just like you would have on your own home computer.

While rooting your phone may seem like a delicate surgical procedure, the process can be extremely simplified. Of course, the details of rooting your phone depends entirely on the individual model. Luckily, there are hundreds of Youtube videos and online guides available that should be able to ease you through the process. In fact, rooting your phone could end up being as easy as downloading a specific app and clicking through a few menus. Remember to always investigate the ways to “un-root” your phone model, just in case you want to go backtrack for any reason.

Rooting your phone comes with a cornucopia of benefits. You will be able to change everything from your background image or animation, keyboard, icons and nearly anything else on your device. However, the best benefits lie deeper underneath these cosmetic changes. A few of the more intense advantages of rooting include a wealth of apps/widgets and the ability directly interact with the hardware, allowing you to overclock the phone in a much safer method compared to similar standalone marketplace apps. Rooted Android phones without multi-touch support (“pinch” commands to adjust zoom and other touch-based shortcuts seen on many modern smartphones) may also be able to implement these commands. My personal favorite tools to use on a rooted Android is being able to use my phone as a wireless hot spot for my laptop on the go and tether all of my Wi-Fi and Bluetooth data.

Of course, risks do exist and the process of rooting your Droid phone will usually forfeit any warranty you have on the device. You also run the risk of “bricking”, or killing, your device, either when downgrading your firmware or installing new interfaces, which would essentially deep-six your phone. At that point, the best app you could use your Droid for would be a toss up between paperweight and doorstop. Take these considerations into mind before deciding to go through with the root process. The process of rooting has been incredibly simplified recently and allows you to make the most of your Android; read through an online guide to see if it is worth getting to the root of the matter.