Reader ROM Picks: VaelPak for HTC EVO
Reader ROM Picks is a regular series that showcases G&E readers’ favorite HTC EVO custom ROMs.
This ROM pick was sent in by Eli Hayes.
My favorite HTC EVO ROM is VaelPak. It’s a “Sense-based non-Sense ROM” and probably one of the most underrated ROMs around.
The whole premise behind VaelPak is to get as close to AOSP as possible without losing things like 4G, HDMI, and camera functionality. It is by far the smoothest, fastest, and most complete ROM I’ve ever tried on my EVO.
The best features are its still-in-progress custom theme builder and Settings app, which was recently made available as a custom shortcut through a modified stock settings menu. This app lets you automatically flash a custom kernel (there are 20 to choose from; once selected, the download, first reboot, flash, and second reboot all happen automatically!), install stock apps that were either removed or replaced, flash ClockworkMod or Amon Ra recovery images, wipe the Dalvik cache, apply the 3G and SD card speed fixes previously covered on G&E, enable and customizabe notification shade toggles, change the LCD density, among other things. There are also custom lockscreen settings (sliders, rotary, gestures) and even a font changer app so that you can change the system font on the fly.
Other extras include some useful preinstalled apps like Titanium Backup and MIUI Music, fully functional WiFi hotspot and USB tethering, Gingerbread keyboard and Swype, audo-connect for Bluetooth A2DP, 5MB MMS limit, and more. The Sense web browser, email, music, calendar, and clock apps have been replaced by the AOSP versions in this ROM, but they can be re-installed if you want them back.
Jim Weiler (Vaelek) is the creator of the ROM and for the most part is a one-man developer team. He is surprisingly very fast when it comes to communication and helping his supporters solve any issues that may arise. Within the last few weeks, he got his forum app up and running; it’s been added to the ROM in the latest update (version 3.2 RC1 as of this writing). The forum community is fantastic and extremely helpful, and there are a lot of G&E readers there too.
Download:
http://s.vaelek.com/VaelPak-3.2-RC1.zip | http://www.multiupload.com/OZ24021LJG
(version 3.2 RC1, packaged w/Netarchy 4.3.1 BFS No-HAVS No-SBC kernel)
Discussion: http://vaelek.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=696
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Reader ROM Picks is a regular series that showcases G&E readers’ favorite HTC EVO custom ROMs.
