To root or not to root?

LolaJay · 06-26-2012, 08:06 PM

I've been lurking on this forum for a while, trying to absorb as much info as possible. All in all, it's be very educational. You guys are an excellent resource!

Now for the inevitable stupid question: what is the purpose of rooting the Vox? I bought mine to use primarily as an e-reader, but also for quick gmail and FB checks, etc. I've got some basic computer knowledge, but I'm not at all familiar with the concept of rooting.

So I guess I'm wondering a) what does it mean? and b) do I want/need to do it? I would like to use my Vox for more things if possible. Does rooting the Vox allow for that?

Thanks in advance for your patience with my stupid questions. It's been a steep learning curve for me.

kcarscadden · 06-26-2012, 10:10 PM

The primary reason to root the Vox was to add the Google Play market, which is no longer necessary since the latest update. And the latest update removes the easiest way to do the root.

BWinmill · 06-27-2012, 12:45 AM

Rooting gives you full access to the hardware. Technically, very few people had to root the Vox since you could sideload apps without full access. Yet a lot of people decided that the convenience of using Google Play made it worth the trouble of rooting it. As kcarscadden mentioned, the latest update includes Google Play so very few people remain interested in rooting the Vox.

Which is just as well since, to my knowledge, the only way to root the Vox with the latest update involves a screwdriver and a computer running Linux. It isn't for the faint of heart, but it is doable.

(The other reason to root the Vox is to remove some of the third party apps that Kobo ships on the Vox.)

LolaJay · 06-27-2012, 07:35 PM

Thanks for the explanation guys. Glad to know I don't really have to worry about it now.

baron604 · 06-28-2012, 03:53 AM

Rooting also gives you the ability to kill all the obnoxious crapware it comes bundled with. Being in charge of your own device, seriously, why is that optional ?

The other upside is that while you're popping out the internal microSD card you can upgrade to a 32GB at the same time.

BWinmill · 06-28-2012, 04:59 AM

I'm assuming that it's optional because Kobo is probably paid to include that crapware. If they weren't being paid for it, it wouldn't make sense to include it since people could simply download it from the market place. (Presumably it was in the original market placed used by Kobo, and it's almost certainly in Google Play.)

But yeah, I removed that stuff. I didn't benchmark things, but my Vox doesn't seem to get bogged down anymore. For added fun, I removed most of the Google stuff too. The amount of tracking that Google does these days is just plain creepy.

paulsalter · 06-28-2012, 05:44 AM

I dont see a problem with the additional software installed, I just ignore them

The same with all the Samsung software on my Mobile
The same with a lot of the Apple software on my iPod

They don't cause any performance issues for me, so I don't worry about them

baron604 · 06-30-2012, 01:10 AM

The objectionable part isn't that all the bundled junk is installed, it's that you can't uninstall it without rooting.

Assuming users should just remain ignorant to the fact that software like this consuming resources is an obnoxious move on the part of vendors. As educated consumers we should be demanding better.

Reader Paradice · 07-02-2012, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baron604

The objectionable part isn't that all the bundled junk is installed, it's that you can't uninstall it without rooting.

Assuming users should just remain ignorant to the fact that software like this consuming resources is an obnoxious move on the part of vendors. As educated consumers we should be demanding better.

-----------------------

Well said.

PeterT · 07-02-2012, 12:40 AM

This might be a bit off topic, but how many people take a knife to a paperback book to remove the various advertisements for other books by the author, or for other upcoming materials from the publisher.

BWinmill · 07-02-2012, 04:41 AM

It's not quite the same. As far as I can tell, Android apps can (and often do) run as background processes. This is true even if they have never been used. Not only does that consume resources, but there are definite privacy implications. (I love Android's permissions system, but it is only useful if people carefully select the apps that they install.)

These apps also make the drawer a bit of a mess, thus making it harder to find the stuff I want.

paulsalter · 07-02-2012, 04:55 AM

Not sure if there are regional variations here, but I see no 3rd party apps running in the background using resources, just the google os (plus a couple of other google apps) and kobo

the only 3rd party apps I see installed are Zinio, Press Reader & INQ, non of these have any background processes (for me), they only take up a little bit of storage (around 20 meg)

mr_nobody · 07-02-2012, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWinmill

These apps also make the drawer a bit of a mess, thus making it harder to find the stuff I want.

If you use GO Launcher, you can hide apps in the app drawer.

bobbert · 07-05-2012, 08:09 AM

Newbie here, but I've been lurking for a while. I still want to root to get rid of unwanted apps that hog resources and make videos stutter. Short of converting to a linux box, is there any way to do it after the google play update??

mr_nobody · 07-05-2012, 09:06 AM

The linux part isn't the tricky part...you can boot off a live cd to do this. The tricky part is you have to open the vox and remove the internal sd card in order to put it into your computer to work with...

06-26-2012, 08:06 PM	#1
LolaJay Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 14 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Halifax, NS, Canada Device: Kobo Vox	To root or not to root? I've been lurking on this forum for a while, trying to absorb as much info as possible. All in all, it's be very educational. You guys are an excellent resource! Now for the inevitable stupid question: what is the purpose of rooting the Vox? I bought mine to use primarily as an e-reader, but also for quick gmail and FB checks, etc. I've got some basic computer knowledge, but I'm not at all familiar with the concept of rooting. So I guess I'm wondering a) what does it mean? and b) do I want/need to do it? I would like to use my Vox for more things if possible. Does rooting the Vox allow for that? Thanks in advance for your patience with my stupid questions. It's been a steep learning curve for me.

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06-26-2012, 10:10 PM	#2
kcarscadden Zealot Posts: 141 Karma: 13776 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: semi-north Ontario, Canada (N 45.41 W -79.67) Device: iPad Air 5, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE	The primary reason to root the Vox was to add the Google Play market, which is no longer necessary since the latest update. And the latest update removes the easiest way to do the root.

06-27-2012, 12:45 AM	#3
BWinmill Nameless Being	Rooting gives you full access to the hardware. Technically, very few people had to root the Vox since you could sideload apps without full access. Yet a lot of people decided that the convenience of using Google Play made it worth the trouble of rooting it. As kcarscadden mentioned, the latest update includes Google Play so very few people remain interested in rooting the Vox. Which is just as well since, to my knowledge, the only way to root the Vox with the latest update involves a screwdriver and a computer running Linux. It isn't for the faint of heart, but it is doable. (The other reason to root the Vox is to remove some of the third party apps that Kobo ships on the Vox.)

06-27-2012, 07:35 PM	#4
LolaJay Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 14 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Halifax, NS, Canada Device: Kobo Vox	Thanks for the explanation guys. Glad to know I don't really have to worry about it now.

06-28-2012, 03:53 AM	#5
baron604 Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: none	Rooting also gives you the ability to kill all the obnoxious crapware it comes bundled with. Being in charge of your own device, seriously, why is that optional ? The other upside is that while you're popping out the internal microSD card you can upgrade to a 32GB at the same time.

06-28-2012, 04:59 AM	#6
BWinmill Nameless Being	I'm assuming that it's optional because Kobo is probably paid to include that crapware. If they weren't being paid for it, it wouldn't make sense to include it since people could simply download it from the market place. (Presumably it was in the original market placed used by Kobo, and it's almost certainly in Google Play.) But yeah, I removed that stuff. I didn't benchmark things, but my Vox doesn't seem to get bogged down anymore. For added fun, I removed most of the Google stuff too. The amount of tracking that Google does these days is just plain creepy.

06-28-2012, 05:44 AM	#7
paulsalter Fanatic Posts: 579 Karma: 3243761 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Fire HD8	I dont see a problem with the additional software installed, I just ignore them The same with all the Samsung software on my Mobile The same with a lot of the Apple software on my iPod They don't cause any performance issues for me, so I don't worry about them

06-30-2012, 01:10 AM	#8
baron604 Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: none	The objectionable part isn't that all the bundled junk is installed, it's that you can't uninstall it without rooting. Assuming users should just remain ignorant to the fact that software like this consuming resources is an obnoxious move on the part of vendors. As educated consumers we should be demanding better.

07-02-2012, 12:40 AM	#10
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,511 Karma: 78910202 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	This might be a bit off topic, but how many people take a knife to a paperback book to remove the various advertisements for other books by the author, or for other upcoming materials from the publisher.

07-02-2012, 04:41 AM	#11
BWinmill Nameless Being	It's not quite the same. As far as I can tell, Android apps can (and often do) run as background processes. This is true even if they have never been used. Not only does that consume resources, but there are definite privacy implications. (I love Android's permissions system, but it is only useful if people carefully select the apps that they install.) These apps also make the drawer a bit of a mess, thus making it harder to find the stuff I want.

07-02-2012, 04:55 AM	#12
paulsalter Fanatic Posts: 579 Karma: 3243761 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Fire HD8	Not sure if there are regional variations here, but I see no 3rd party apps running in the background using resources, just the google os (plus a couple of other google apps) and kobo the only 3rd party apps I see installed are Zinio, Press Reader & INQ, non of these have any background processes (for me), they only take up a little bit of storage (around 20 meg)

07-05-2012, 08:09 AM	#14
bobbert Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2012 Device: kobo vox	Newbie here, but I've been lurking for a while. I still want to root to get rid of unwanted apps that hog resources and make videos stutter. Short of converting to a linux box, is there any way to do it after the google play update??

07-05-2012, 09:06 AM	#15
mr_nobody Evangelist Posts: 440 Karma: 26671 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: kobo mini, nexus 7 (2012), kobo vox	The linux part isn't the tricky part...you can boot off a live cd to do this. The tricky part is you have to open the vox and remove the internal sd card in order to put it into your computer to work with...