Essential root apps for your rooted Dell Streak
Although it isn't without risks, rooting your Dell Streak has some significant benefits. If you've never rooted an Android phone before, however, all of the new possibilities can be pretty overwhelming; some may even seem downright scary.
None of it really is once you get the hang of it, but a great way to get your feet wet is to start with something you already know how to do. Then when you become more comfortable with doing rooty things, you can go wild and dive in head first if you want. But if you're new to all of this, then it's best to start slowly.
So what do you already know how to do that lets you take advantage of having root access on your Streak? Installing apps. Most of the best root-only apps are right there alongside all the "regular" apps in Android Market, so the process is instantly familiar. Some of the other ones require less automated installation, but it's easy to install an .apk manually using a file manager like ASTRO (or even right from Gmail in Android 2.2).
There are lots of root apps to choose from, though, so I thought I'd repurpose a post I wrote on Good and EVO (my HTC EVO site) to narrow it down and get you started. There are other awesome root apps out there too, as well as great alternatives to what you'll find in the list, but these are my personal essentials.
In no particular order . . .
Wireless Tether
This is one of the crown jewels of root apps. Like Barnacle WiFi Tether, which many rooted Streak users already use, Wireless Tether turns your Streak into a WiFi hotspot using its 3G connection. Note: Be mindful of your data usage if you don't have an unlimited data plan. Excessive usage could result in outrageous fees and some unwanted attention from your carrier.
Price: Free
Get it now: Google project page (not in Market)
Quick Boot
This app lets you reboot, boot into recovery, and boot into the bootloader with a single tap. You can also create shortcuts to each one on your home screen, making access to the functions even faster. When flashing zips and custom ROMs, which is part of the fun of rooting, an app like this is extremely useful.
Price: Free
Get it now: Market link
ROM Manager
ROM Manager is the hands-down easiest way to flash new ROMs, create Nandroid backups, and restore backups. On my HTC EVO, I keep backups of different ROMs so I can switch between them whenever I want to and not have to deal with setting everything up again. ROM development for the Streak is still very slow-going, so there's not much to choose from at the moment and therefore not a whole lot of use for this app . . . yet.
Price: Free, $3.99 (Premium version)
Get it now: Market link
ShootMe
ShootMe is one of several screen cap apps in the Market, but it's my favorite one and is particularly useful for anyone who has a blog and/or posts in forums.
Price: Free
Get it now: Market link
Titanium Backup
Titanium Backup is invaluable after you've flashed a new ROM and want to quickly restore all of your apps, user data, and settings, but it's also great for removing unwanted apps, temporarily freezing apps, and of course backing up (batch and scheduled backups included).
Price: Free, $3.99+ (Donate version)
Get it now: Market link
Root Explorer
This is an awesome file manager that gives you access to everything on the Streak and lets you switch between read-only and read-write in all of the folders with a quick tap.
Price: £2.50
Get it now: Market link
Android Terminal Emulator
This app works on non-rooted Streaks too, but I think it's more useful on rooted phones. As its name suggests, it's a terminal emulator that lets you run command line utilities that you might normally run on a computer.
Price: Free
Get it now: Market link
SetCPU
This is the app you'll want for controlling the Streak's CPU. Depending on your kernel, you can overclock and underclock according to custom conditions/profiles (e.g., underclock when the screen is off).
Price: $1.99
Get it now: Market link
Copy Paste It
This app lets you copy text onto the clipboard from any screen on your Streak using image recognition technology. Accuracy varies and actually needs improvement, but it's nice to have copy/paste functions available throughout the entire phone.
Price: $3.99 (free trial available)
Get it now: Market link (free trial)
Hulu (Android 2.2 only)
If you've got Froyo on your Streak, then you can watch videos on Hulu. Thanks to the SkyRaider ROM developed for the Droid Incredible, you can install the .apks contained in hulupack.zip you'll find below and watch Hulu in both the dev-created app and the regular website.
Price: Free
Get it now: SkyRaider goodies (not in Market)
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And those are my picks for the root apps you should check out on your Dell Streak.
If you have any other recommendations for great root apps for the Streak, please leave them in the comments.
