ExtremeRyno
Member
- Jan 16, 2011
- 179
- 10
I've had a few weeks now of testing out all the different ROM selections available over at XDA. I know there are many others from other boards as well, but when I get something from XDA I know what I'm getting into. So here are some very fast observations about those ROM choices currently out there (currently being maintained, I mean).
1. CM10.2 - The dev maintaining the CM ROM for the A700 is very active in the forums and is prompt in fixing issues if a fixing is necessary. He's awesome, and his ROM is very well constructed. If you're unfamiliar with the newer versions of JB, the change can be startling. From the way "open" apps are displayed to the dualing navigation bars, it is a fairly big change. New UI aside, I rather enjoyed my week of CM10.2. The touch sensitivity is now set to "Very High" by default and makes those missed presses few and far between. I was also very impressed with the speed of the UI. It felt light and crisp. My only issues are fairly standard with any CM ROM, and that is the problems with SD cards. I have a TON of data on my 64GB SD and need access to it constantly for work. CM10.2 can't use exFAT, so I format as the suggested FAT32. Still no love. I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, but I can never get my 64GB SD card no matter the format to mount in CM. This may be a quirk of my device, but without my data, CM10.2 was more a hindrance than anything.
2. PAC-Man 4.3 - Combines all the great things from all the big-name ROMS. I am in love with the hybrid interface options as I was at once able to make my device function like stock JB. The speed is lightning fast, the sensitivity to touch is spot-on, and it is just very well put together. There are some strange quirks with the UI, but nothing major. There's a strange storm cloud stuck on the navigation pop-up menu that I can't explain, though. If I had to choose between CM10.2 and PAC-Man, I'd take PAC-Man in a heartbeat.....But like CM10.2, it has issues with my SD card. I formatted every which way I could, inserted card before boot while powered off, inserted while powered on, rebooted while inserted, inserted while loading up, and stood on my head with my eyes closed. I can't get my 64GB SD to work with PAC-Man. As with CM10.2, this was a deal breaker for me. Take it with a grain of salt as you might have better luck than me. If I could just figure it out, I would be a PAC-Maniac...4.3.
3. Evil Alex Purgatory v2 & OC Kernel - This is what I'm using for now as my solid daily driver. It works with my SD card in either FAT32 or exFAT, not that it really matters as I don't carry large files (just many), but the point is that it reads my 64GB SD card. It is a modified version of the stock Acer ROM and is lighter on it's feet. Touch sensitivity is pretty much the same as stock, the UI has been slightly modified with a background pattern instead of flat black menus. All-in-all, it is what Acer should have had in the first place. I know the dev is working on a v3 and is updating his OC kernel, so I expect this ROM combo to be smoking awesome in the future.
4. IconiaN 2.6 - It's old now. I was a firm believer in IconiaN until late October when I started experimenting with other ROMs. It's incredibly stable (I used it with no errors, no bugs, no quirks for a year. It's really perfect for what it is: a bloat-free stock ROM. Add on the OC kernel Vorbeth made, and it is stable and snappy. I went back to IconiaN for a couple hours the other day and it felt old. EAP, & PAC-Man blow it away. It's still very useable, still fantastic...But with no updates (the dev has been absent since mid-summer), it was just time for me to leave it behind.
My opinion: Use Evil Alex Purgatory. Play around with PAC-Man. Experiment with CM10.2.....Wait a few months and see what happens. I'm personally looking forward to the next iteration of EAP and the kernel from Moscow Desire.
1. CM10.2 - The dev maintaining the CM ROM for the A700 is very active in the forums and is prompt in fixing issues if a fixing is necessary. He's awesome, and his ROM is very well constructed. If you're unfamiliar with the newer versions of JB, the change can be startling. From the way "open" apps are displayed to the dualing navigation bars, it is a fairly big change. New UI aside, I rather enjoyed my week of CM10.2. The touch sensitivity is now set to "Very High" by default and makes those missed presses few and far between. I was also very impressed with the speed of the UI. It felt light and crisp. My only issues are fairly standard with any CM ROM, and that is the problems with SD cards. I have a TON of data on my 64GB SD and need access to it constantly for work. CM10.2 can't use exFAT, so I format as the suggested FAT32. Still no love. I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, but I can never get my 64GB SD card no matter the format to mount in CM. This may be a quirk of my device, but without my data, CM10.2 was more a hindrance than anything.
2. PAC-Man 4.3 - Combines all the great things from all the big-name ROMS. I am in love with the hybrid interface options as I was at once able to make my device function like stock JB. The speed is lightning fast, the sensitivity to touch is spot-on, and it is just very well put together. There are some strange quirks with the UI, but nothing major. There's a strange storm cloud stuck on the navigation pop-up menu that I can't explain, though. If I had to choose between CM10.2 and PAC-Man, I'd take PAC-Man in a heartbeat.....But like CM10.2, it has issues with my SD card. I formatted every which way I could, inserted card before boot while powered off, inserted while powered on, rebooted while inserted, inserted while loading up, and stood on my head with my eyes closed. I can't get my 64GB SD to work with PAC-Man. As with CM10.2, this was a deal breaker for me. Take it with a grain of salt as you might have better luck than me. If I could just figure it out, I would be a PAC-Maniac...4.3.
3. Evil Alex Purgatory v2 & OC Kernel - This is what I'm using for now as my solid daily driver. It works with my SD card in either FAT32 or exFAT, not that it really matters as I don't carry large files (just many), but the point is that it reads my 64GB SD card. It is a modified version of the stock Acer ROM and is lighter on it's feet. Touch sensitivity is pretty much the same as stock, the UI has been slightly modified with a background pattern instead of flat black menus. All-in-all, it is what Acer should have had in the first place. I know the dev is working on a v3 and is updating his OC kernel, so I expect this ROM combo to be smoking awesome in the future.
4. IconiaN 2.6 - It's old now. I was a firm believer in IconiaN until late October when I started experimenting with other ROMs. It's incredibly stable (I used it with no errors, no bugs, no quirks for a year. It's really perfect for what it is: a bloat-free stock ROM. Add on the OC kernel Vorbeth made, and it is stable and snappy. I went back to IconiaN for a couple hours the other day and it felt old. EAP, & PAC-Man blow it away. It's still very useable, still fantastic...But with no updates (the dev has been absent since mid-summer), it was just time for me to leave it behind.
My opinion: Use Evil Alex Purgatory. Play around with PAC-Man. Experiment with CM10.2.....Wait a few months and see what happens. I'm personally looking forward to the next iteration of EAP and the kernel from Moscow Desire.
Last edited:
