The Top 10 Android Root Apps of 2011

We have recently covered why you would want to root your Android phone, so today we will present our 2011 top 10 list of must-have Android Apps for you lucky root users! These apps are exclusive to rooted devices and offer new features that you probably didn’t know were possible! They are meant to go in conjunction with our 25 best free Android apps and 50 best Android apps lists. These apps can all be found in the standard Android Market (download link provided below each app). So without further ado, we present our winners for your rooted phone or tablet!

This amazing, free app, accomplishes just what its name implies. Wireless Tether allows you to wirelessly tether another device to your phone’s internet (2G Edge, 3G, or 4G Wimax or LTE depending on your wireless provider). It is done via Bluetooth or an ad-hoc Wi-Fi connection. It is extremely secure and customizable in that you can set your own wireless SSID, WEP encryption keys, filter MAC addresses, and turn it on only when you need it. If you travel with a laptop, or another device like an iPod or iPad, which rely on Wi-Fi to connect to the internet, this is a must for every root user! The app even displays your bandwidth usage if you are interested, keeping track of the realtime download and upload speeds, and total usage. Feel free to share (or not) your free Wi-Fi with your friends! This is by far the easiest and cheapest method of tethering Android.

[Download]

The Titanium Backup app is one of many full phone backup solutions for Android Root users. It is free and extremely powerful, making it our favorite and the best of the bunch to backup, save, and restore your device. It allows you to easily backup and restore all of your apps, system settings, and Android Market downloads, contacts, SMS/MMS text messages, and more. If you experiment frequently with different ROMs or just want peace of mind, this is a must-have app. The donate version (minimum of $3.99) allows for multiple backups, faster backups, scheduling, and more handy features for an even more comprehensive solution.

[Download]

The ROM Manager is the ideal solution to manage all of your ROMs in a simple way. It allows you to backup, download, and update your ROMs to and from an SD card or over the air (OTA). It is simple, functional, and best of all free, working with the most popular ROMs like CyanogenMod. It is perfect for all you Android hackers!

Note: There was a previous app called DroidRootHelper (also free) that was really popular. It has since been discontinued in favor of ROM Manager by ClockworkMod.

[Download]

The adbWireless app enables ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to be used over Wi-Fi, shocking given the name huh? This free app is also a must-have for Android hackers eliminating the need to connect a microUSB cable to your phone and computer. Of course you will need to have the Android SDK installed on your computer. But once connected, you can transfer files to and from your phone (wirelessly) and much more!

[Download]

The SetCPU app, as the name implies, allows you to set the clock speed of the internal CPU of your phone or device. It costs $1.99 at the Android Market and with it you can increase performance through overclocking or extend battery life by underclocking the device's processor. You can also create different profiles based on the battery percentage or just set your CPU to a certain speed when the phone boots.

Warning: Since this program works on a low level, you could potentially damage your phone if you set the CPU too high and/or overheat your phone!

[Download]

Continue to the next page for 5 more awesome rooted Android apps!