yes it can be rooted. and if you root it, you'll have so many advanced options for call recording enhancements which you can not get on normal android..
when you root your device, you won't need upgrades.. you will upgrade and control your device the way you want.. but you need to know what you're doing
flash a firmware, using Odin, .. download the firmware from sammobike.com and flash the. tar file only.. in the AP slot.. your device will be as good as brand new..don't forget to backup your data..cheers