So I'm finding myself in a dilemma. Being the nut that I am with
my devices (flashing new ROMs and customising rather often), I'm frequently
approached by friends who are impressed by my "technical aptitude",
and who want me to unlock and root their devices.
I've told them on a number of occasions that I could do it for them, and that for the most part - it would be a simple matter of following instructions properly, and it really isn't as challenging as it's made out to be (especially in the case for two friends who have a Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus). Yet they all continue to remain adamant that I am the only person qualified to do the job, and do it right.
I believe their apprehension stems from either fear or laziness – though it’s mostly both.
The fear I can understand completely, as for most of them, their device is on contract, and they'd hate to be on the phone to their carrier, trying to account for why their device has all of a sudden become a vegetable. I know it was more the case for me – and even though my first Android device – the Motorola Defy was bought off contract from the UK, the thought of shipping it to the other side of the world for a replacement that wasn't even guaranteed was a daunting thought. But even more daunting is the risk you personally face, unlocking and rooting someone else's device, because if anything you do goes awry, you run the high chance of being strangled with a telephone cord from the same telephone that person will be using to call their carrier, after they're done with you.
On the point of laziness, what needs to be understood is nothing stands to be gained from an unwillingness to learn anything at all, and for an individual to want something new and entirely in their control, it's expected they'd learn the ropes in order to fully grasp the changes of their rooted device. Instead, they make excuses like not being able to use a computer properly, or just not having time to learn about the possibilities - and once again, everything is pinned on the phone nerd. I should be charging for this service.
I've only so far been daring enough to unlock and root my mother's HTC Desire HD and my sister's newly bought Defy. The experience turned out less successful than I'd hoped. Not that I turned both smartphones into vegetables, because I didn't – it was more so the aftermath of my actions which ended up leaving the them for the most part, unimpressed. With my mother's DHD, I upgraded it to ICS and Sense 4.0 and mind you, it was my first encounter dealing with HBoot and its stupid downgrade hassles and S-Off, all on a device which lost just about all volume rocker functionality after being dropped in a toilet. After my patience was tested for 3 hours, her immediate response coming from Sense 3.0 was priceless: ‘What's that on the bottom? I don't like that!’ – referring to the new app dock. I tried to explain that this is the new interface for HTC, and that if she were to go and pick up a One X, she'd see the same UI – but as I've now learnt, expecting someone entering senility to accept change is like trying to replace a child’s first and favourite toy for something that is completely foreign to them, like say, an abacus – chances are, they're not going to have a clue what to do with it and nor will they be interested, they just want their favourite toy back. For my mother, having spent two years with her first smartphone meant her familiarity had set in like concrete – to the point where presently she's determined to stay on Sense 3.0 for as long as she can, just to avoid having to use a dock bar and learn her way around a few more features on 4.0/+.
My sister thankfully was a lot easier to deal with. After having spent two weeks with my
CM7.2 Defy, which I fully themed and customised to her high artistic standards, she decided to purchase a Defy for herself. Once I rooted and placed the same ROM on top, she complained that it didn't look how she wanted it to look, making it seem it was now my responsibility to assume all her customising duties. So I simply responded with an upfront ‘no’, and instead told her the basics about where to search and how to change settings. Surprisingly, my instructions didn't fall upon deaf ears, and sure enough (though initially she was busy with study), the moment she took her break, she took a stab at it (figuratively), and ended up staying on her phone for the rest of the evening - right up until the point her phone’s battery began crying for an electric juice pop.
In the case of my friends however, I've finally concluded that whilst they may be waiting impatiently for me to free their devices, their lack of curiosity about the degree of customisation they can achieve on a rooted device has at least for now, made it difficult for me to help them. I realise that these people sound like they could do with a completely locked down phone with minimal customisation, and I've asked them all about why they didn't go with one. Each of their responses shared a common thread, which was that they already enjoyed the personalisation options afforded to them on their devices, and knew if they went with a device that avoided this, that they wouldn't feel any different from anyone else, save for their wallpaper.
Am I being too harsh? Or do others know these types of individuals and are nevertheless still game enough to offer their expertise and deal with possible ramifications later on?
 |
| An old Chrome OS inspired homescreen |
I've told them on a number of occasions that I could do it for them, and that for the most part - it would be a simple matter of following instructions properly, and it really isn't as challenging as it's made out to be (especially in the case for two friends who have a Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus). Yet they all continue to remain adamant that I am the only person qualified to do the job, and do it right.
I believe their apprehension stems from either fear or laziness – though it’s mostly both.
The fear I can understand completely, as for most of them, their device is on contract, and they'd hate to be on the phone to their carrier, trying to account for why their device has all of a sudden become a vegetable. I know it was more the case for me – and even though my first Android device – the Motorola Defy was bought off contract from the UK, the thought of shipping it to the other side of the world for a replacement that wasn't even guaranteed was a daunting thought. But even more daunting is the risk you personally face, unlocking and rooting someone else's device, because if anything you do goes awry, you run the high chance of being strangled with a telephone cord from the same telephone that person will be using to call their carrier, after they're done with you.
On the point of laziness, what needs to be understood is nothing stands to be gained from an unwillingness to learn anything at all, and for an individual to want something new and entirely in their control, it's expected they'd learn the ropes in order to fully grasp the changes of their rooted device. Instead, they make excuses like not being able to use a computer properly, or just not having time to learn about the possibilities - and once again, everything is pinned on the phone nerd. I should be charging for this service.
I've only so far been daring enough to unlock and root my mother's HTC Desire HD and my sister's newly bought Defy. The experience turned out less successful than I'd hoped. Not that I turned both smartphones into vegetables, because I didn't – it was more so the aftermath of my actions which ended up leaving the them for the most part, unimpressed. With my mother's DHD, I upgraded it to ICS and Sense 4.0 and mind you, it was my first encounter dealing with HBoot and its stupid downgrade hassles and S-Off, all on a device which lost just about all volume rocker functionality after being dropped in a toilet. After my patience was tested for 3 hours, her immediate response coming from Sense 3.0 was priceless: ‘What's that on the bottom? I don't like that!’ – referring to the new app dock. I tried to explain that this is the new interface for HTC, and that if she were to go and pick up a One X, she'd see the same UI – but as I've now learnt, expecting someone entering senility to accept change is like trying to replace a child’s first and favourite toy for something that is completely foreign to them, like say, an abacus – chances are, they're not going to have a clue what to do with it and nor will they be interested, they just want their favourite toy back. For my mother, having spent two years with her first smartphone meant her familiarity had set in like concrete – to the point where presently she's determined to stay on Sense 3.0 for as long as she can, just to avoid having to use a dock bar and learn her way around a few more features on 4.0/+.
My sister thankfully was a lot easier to deal with. After having spent two weeks with my
CM7.2 Defy, which I fully themed and customised to her high artistic standards, she decided to purchase a Defy for herself. Once I rooted and placed the same ROM on top, she complained that it didn't look how she wanted it to look, making it seem it was now my responsibility to assume all her customising duties. So I simply responded with an upfront ‘no’, and instead told her the basics about where to search and how to change settings. Surprisingly, my instructions didn't fall upon deaf ears, and sure enough (though initially she was busy with study), the moment she took her break, she took a stab at it (figuratively), and ended up staying on her phone for the rest of the evening - right up until the point her phone’s battery began crying for an electric juice pop.
 |
| One fingerprint loving Defy on the left and a newer, more photogenic one on the right. Shot on the GNex's much celebrated camera. |
In the case of my friends however, I've finally concluded that whilst they may be waiting impatiently for me to free their devices, their lack of curiosity about the degree of customisation they can achieve on a rooted device has at least for now, made it difficult for me to help them. I realise that these people sound like they could do with a completely locked down phone with minimal customisation, and I've asked them all about why they didn't go with one. Each of their responses shared a common thread, which was that they already enjoyed the personalisation options afforded to them on their devices, and knew if they went with a device that avoided this, that they wouldn't feel any different from anyone else, save for their wallpaper.
Am I being too harsh? Or do others know these types of individuals and are nevertheless still game enough to offer their expertise and deal with possible ramifications later on?
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