[Dr. Evo]

I went to a Sprint Store earlier this week to pickup a new EVO since the charging port on my old one crapped out on me. When the rep was preparing my new EVO, I asked him was he required to update my phone to the latest firmware edition, 3.70? I told him I hadn't updated to 3.70 on my old phone, because I didn't need the additional bloatware that came with it, plus I already had a working version of Swype. He told me that it was probably already updated, straight from the factory. He turned out to be correct.

Then, the rep actually brought up rooting. He told me the only way to delete the bloatware was by rooting. I told him I knew all about it, but it's something I hadn't tackled yet due to different circumstances. I also told him I didn't want to worry about the ramifications of rooting in the event something happened to my phone. The rep told me what I had already known for the most part... that rooting wasn't technically 'illegal' and that it's just something that Sprint sorta looks down on. He said the only time I'd ever be screwed was if there was a software issue with my phone. Otherwise, rooting really wasn't an issue.

So that came straight from the horses mouth. There was also another employee there that I've built a nice rapport with, who agreed with everything the other rep said. So it wasn't just a case of a rogue Sprint rep telling me false info. The warranty isn't completely voided, per se, from what they told me. You're only screwed if your phone becomes defective due to a software issue.