Now that the official Ice Cream Sandwich build for the Thunderbolt has been released and pushed out to remaining owners (I hear crickets), developers are already working their magic. Last week, a developer released a rooted, deodexed, and more importantly, debloated version of the official ICS build to users. I say more importantly because after looking at the list of removed apps, it’s hard to believe there was any room on the device’s storage for any user-installed applications. 

Removed apps:

• Adobe Reader
• Backup Assistant Sync Service
• Books Tablet
• City ID
• Kindle
• My Report Agent
• My Verizon
• NewbayVaultMarket (VZW crap)
• Polaris Office
• Rock Band
• Slacker Radio
• Tethering Guard
• TuneWiki
• Vcast Tones
• VzNav
• VZW Golf
• VZW Remote Tool

Beyond that, it is a stock ROM with no further modifications. It’s nice and clean.

If you are into flashing ROM’s on your Thunderbolt, go grab it from the via link below.

Via: XDA

Cheers blackhawk!

OMG: Rooted, Deodexed, Debloated ICS ROM Released for the HTC Thunderbolt is a post from: Droid Life

If you were a little upset when HTC missed their self-imposed deadline of August for the ICS upgrade for the Thunderbolt, we may have some good news for you. LiquidSmooth has pushed out another milestone update for their ROM bringing a lot of bug fixes and general ICS-goodness to the aging Thunderbolt.

If you are looking for an AOSP-based ROM for the Thunderbolt this will be right up your alley. The developers have kept everything clean and smooth while still offering customizations like navigation bar colors and lockscreen customization. The list of features this ROM goes on and on so if you want to beat HTC to the upgrade punch hit the source link below.

XDA Thread for LiquidSmooth 

Cheers Ryan!

Ice Cream Sandwich Arrives for Thunderbolt in Form of LiquidSmooth ROM is a post from: Droid Life

Thunderbolt owners! An official Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3) build has been released in ROM form for you to take for a spin. Thanks to Team BAMF, you can taste the sweet update ahead of Verizon’s approval. The build number is 7.00.605.2, which bumps the device up to Sense 3.6 and an experience most Thunderbolt owners will be pleasantly surprised with. The separate “Quick Settings” tab that HTC includes is top notch. The Settings menu has also been completely revamped to match ICS styling.

The ROM itself is stock (deodexed), but does include root. HTC’s “spyware” has also been removed. You can grab the file from the source link below.

So until HTC and Verizon finalize everything in order to meet their self-imposed August deadline, this should hold you over. And feel free to the flip the bird to Woz.

Via:  BAMF

Cheers Josh!

HTC Thunderbolt Official Ice Cream Sandwich Build Leaks, Ready for ROM Flashers to Entertain is a post from: Droid Life

HTC, after announcing that all of their phones released after September of this year would have unlockable bootloaders, has updated their dev site to reflect that statement. Oh but wait, they went even deeper than that and even included the Thunderbolt and Incredible 2, two devices released long before September. Talk about making a statement to both the developer crowd and other manufacturers in the game.

We were led to believe that this was all up to the carriers, but HTC seems to have either found a way around that, doesn’t care what the carrier’s think, or produced a carrier accepted bootloader unlocking tool that everyone is willing to accept. No matter what, we are loving it.

I think all that’s left to be said now is, ”Doesn’t Motorola owe us an explanation?” A solution? Something?

And go get yourself unlocked if you haven’t already at HTCDev.com.

Cheers to everyone who sent this in!

HTC Thunderbolt and Incredible 2 Receive the Bootloader Unlock Treatment From HTCDev.com is a post from: Droid Life

Patience is finally paying off for HTC Thunderbolt owners as Gingerbread is now officially rolling out and CyanogenMod 7 has been updated for rooted users too.  There are good fixes in this new build, but we always recommend knowing your device inside and out before attempting these types of things.  Plus a backup or two wouldn’t hurt either.

Added to the list of working features are Bluetooth calling, camcorder will now have better audio, and you’ll be introduced to some different lockscreen options.  Full support and instructions can be found at the original RootzWiki thread.  Feeling frisky?

Via: RootzWiki

Cheers Phil!

CM7 For HTC Thunderbolt Gets Update, Adds Bluetooth Calling And Lockscreen Options is a post from: Droid Life

The first set of ROMs for the the DROID Bionic and the DROID3 are starting to pop up now that we have official bootstrap apps and an easy root method.  The two we have listed below each have been de-bloated, include tweaks to build.props, and run on the latest firmware available.  There will likely be many more on the way, including one from Team Liberty which is rumored to be available in the Liberty Toolbox already.

ROM Threads:  Unleashed (Bionic) | Steel Droid (DROID3)

Cheers Brian, Jason, Graham, and Connor!

ROMs: DROID3 and Bionic See First Batch is a post from: Droid Life

We’ll start this off by saying that this is NOT the final Gingerbread build that your HTC Thunderbolt will receive from Verizon whenever it gets approved.  This is technically an “official” build from HTC and Verizon, but again, is not THE build you will see when they start rolling out 2.3.  What I’m trying to tell you, is that if you load this, there is also a chance that you could be stuck with it for good (non-rooted users of course).  That make sense?

If you are interested though, our buddy Chingy has made version 2.07.605.0 available for both non-rooted and rooted users to test drive.  Actually, “test drive” is a bad word since this is no longer a test build and is the closest thing we’ve seen to a final release.  I know that both the Incredible and Incredible 2 received 2.3 before it, but at least we’re finally getting close.

Download links can be found over at the Mik Mik. (You’ll have to register, sorry.)

Via:  RootzWiki

Cheers Steve!

New HTC Thunderbolt Gingerbread Builds Released for Non-Rooted and Rooted Users is a post from: Droid Life

AlphaRev and Unrevoked have joined forces and are making it very easy to own an HTC device. For quite some time now, the Unrevoked team has been the way to go when rooting select HTC devices. Owners of the DROID Incredible2 running Gingerbread, and the HTC Thunderbolt can now enjoy full S-Off support, plus a much easier rooting process. We know that the Thunderbolt owners are getting sick and tired waiting for the Gingerbread update, so why not take it upon yourself?

If you have been looking to root your Inc2, or Thunderbolt, now is the time. Feel free to head over to their site to get the full list of instructions. Be aware, you take the plunge at your own risk. We are pretty sure you won’t regret it though.

Via: Phandroid

Cheers Pete, Zane!

DROID Incredible2 Running Gingerbread And Thunderbolt Receive S-Off, Thanks To Unrevoked is a post from: Droid Life

The CM7 build for the Thunderbolt that slayher has quietly been working on hit v0.6 yesterday and we wanted to point out how far it has come.  From its early pre-alpha stage, many of you were a little hesitant to go with it, and rightfully so – the warnings were pasted all over that original post.  Since then though, our very own MrPicolas has grown quite fond of it and even made it his daily driver.  He mentioned that some people are having to toggle their 3G and 4G from time to time, but he hasn’t had to at all.  And let me tell you, for a guy that uses his device for everything and rarely touches a computer, a ROM better be good for him to stick with it for a long time.  Pretty good sign right there.

Download:  update-cm-7.1.0-RC0.6-Thunderbolt-KANG-signed.zip

Doesn’t work:  Slow GPS (although Picolas hasn’t had any troubles), mic on video is broken (might be fixed actually), possible data/voice bugs.

Does work:  Everything else.

*The original Thunderbolt radio is recommended.  And I’m actually not even sure if the new radio will work.  So I highly recommend you flash back to the original radio if you plan on running this.

Load it up as you would any other ROM.

Full support can be found at this RootzWiki thread.

CM7 for HTC Thunderbolt Gets Update, Looking More Stable Every Day is a post from: Droid Life

Earlier in the week we received the new radio for the Thunderbolt which will accompany the MR2 update that is scheduled to be released by Verizon in the next couple of weeks.  And when we say “MR2,” we’re talking about the update that will fix all of the random reboot problems that many of you have experienced after taking the MR1 update from a few weeks back.  Today though (thanks to Chingy and TeamAndIRC), we have the full MR2 RUU for non-rooted users to run and a set of ROMs based off of it for those with root to flash.

We’re still waiting on an official changelog from Verizon, but as you can see from the screenshot above, they have finally included the ability to turn off 4G without having to load up a separate app.  

*Note 1 – Rooted users, DO NOT try to flash the RUU or you will brick your phone.

*Note 2 - Non-rooted users, the RUU will wipe everything from your phone.

*Note 3 – Rooted users, you will need the new radio.  [Instructions]

Download (non-rooted users):  Full MR2 RUU

ROM Download (rooted users):  Flyweight (deodexed and debloated) | PlainJane v3 (stock rooted)

Instructions (non-rooted users):

1. Download the full RUU from above, and re-name it to PG05IMG.zip
2. Place PG05IMG.zip on the root directory of your SD card (not in a folder).
3. Turn off your Thunderbolt.
4. Holding Volume Down and then Power simultaneously until the phone boots into the bootloader.
5. The file should begin flashing the update immediately.
6. Wait, up to several minutes, for your device to reboot.

Instructions (rooted users):

1. Flash the new radio we’ve listed in “Note 3.”
2. Download one of the ROMs from above and place it on your SD card.
3. Boot into recovery from ROM Manager.
4. Create a backup.
5. When that has finished, “install zip from sd card” and choose the ROM you downloaded.
6. Install it and enjoy a stable device.

Let us know in the comments if you run into any issues.

Via:  Android Police

Full MR2 Update Leaks for HTC Thunderbolt, Fix Those Reboot Problems Now is a post from: Droid Life

Well, a new radio has been released for the HTC Thunderbolt (thanks chingy51o!) that should fix many of the reboot issues previously experienced.  From we’re being told, this is the “MR2″ update that could be out for devices in the very near future to fix a variety of things.  There is one major thing to note here and that is the fact that the leakers are recommending that no one running Froyo attempt to flash this file.  Apparently this radio only works on Gingerbread (except CM7).

If you are running Gingerbread on your Tbolt though, you can grab the file below and see what new goodness this radio has to offer.

Instructions:

1.  Download this file and rename it to PG05IMG.zip  [MD5:  4072b5954bf0032103b62c5ae69cb13e]
2.  Drop on the root of your SD card.
3.  Load the file from HBOOT.

*Note - The full RUU of MR2 is apparently on the way.  We’re thinking this will be the love that Froyo users are looking for.  Stay tuned…

*Note 2 - Reason this radio will only work on Gingerbread ROMs (via humungus):

The leaked radio for the new Froyo OTA uses the new RIL, which was previously incorporated into the GB leak but not in the older Froyo releases. Thus, it works on the current GB roms but not on Froyo roms.

Full support can be found at this XDA thread.

Cheers Steve!

HTC Thunderbolt MR2 Radio Update Leaked, Should Fix Reboot Issues is a post from: Droid Life

Forget about the random reboot issues on the HTC Thunderbolt for a minute, we may have something that needs your immediate attention.  While we have yet to see or hear about this from our readers, there are enough reports of Tbolts turning up as bricks after running the leaked Gingerbread over at XDA that a warning has been released by @TeamAndIRC.

What exactly is happening?  Well, we’re not sure, but phones out of no where will just start endless bootlooping – leaving you without the ability to even load up a recovery or revert back.  Anyone running one of the leaked GB ROMs (not including CM7 alpha) with the new radio should think about reverting back to Froyo.  

Instructions:

1.  Download the file from below:

Custom upgrade PG05IMG_MR1_upgrade.zip (md5sum : 7960c7977c25b2c8759605be264843ea)

http://www.multiupload.com/NEANZBS5S4 (Please check the md5sum before flashing)

2.  Rename it to PG05IMG.zip and place it on the root of your sdcard.
3.  Reboot the phone into hboot:

adb reboot bootloader

4.  Allow the file to flash.

Full support can be found at this XDA thread.

Cheers Edward M.!

Thunderbolts Running Leaked Gingerbread Turning Into Bricks? Might Want to Consider Reverting Back to Froyo is a post from: Droid Life

When the HTC EVO 3D was announced as running Sense 3.0, there were a few of us with Thunderbolts and Incredibles that were possibly a little jealous.  That new lock screen was just too sexy to not envy, plus we love that the notification bar has built-in toggles for WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.  Well, guess what?  Some of our fine friends in the ROM game have already popped out fully-working Sense 3.0 Gingerbread ports for you to try out.  Actually, I shouldn’t say “try out” since almost everything seems to be working on them and would easily hold up as your daily driver.

Thunderbolt:

• MikRoms Gingeritis – Download [XDA thread]
• Liquid GingerSense – Download [XDA thread]
• Update:  Das BAMF – Download [XDA thread]  (Feelin’ the hate.)

Incredible:

• Kingdom GingerSense – Download [XDA thread]

Instructions:

1.  Download the ROM that fits your device and drop it on your SD card.
2.  Boot into Clockwork Recovery and backup your current settings.
3.  Then perform a factory reset/full wipe.
4.  Load up the .zip of the ROM that you downloaded above.
5.  Enjoy!

Cheers Nicholas!

Sense 3.0 ROMs Popping Up for HTC Incredible and Thunderbolt (Updated) is a post from: Droid Life

Now before we get too far into this post, we should point out that this will not work for the majority of Thunderbolt owners.  There are a couple of qualifications you must meet before you can even attempt this:

1.  You have to be rooted.
2.  You have to be running the leaked Gingerbread or a GB ROM.

So if you met both of those, then let’s jump into this.  

XDA member rmk40 created a patch for Thunderbolt owners, that will replace the “entire media library stack” of the device to a newer version to allow for Netflix to run.  Once the patch is flashed, you can then load up one of the Netflix files that’s in the wild and start to enjoy a service that should have been available to your device from day 1.

Download:  rmk-patch_netflix_gingerbread-minimal.zip

Instructions:

1.  Make a nandroid backup first.
2.  Seriously, make a backup in Clockwork before proceeding.
3.  Download the file from above and drop it on your SD card.
4.  Boot into recovery and flash the .zip just like you would a ROM or other file.
5.  Reboot your phone, install Netflix and test it.
6.  If for some reason that didn’t work, try this file instead.

Via:  XDA

Cheers Cody and Bart!

Netflix Hacked to Work on HTC Thunderbolt is a post from: Droid Life

The leaked Gingerbread test build for the HTC Thunderbolt has already been zipped up and is ready for rooted users to flash.  We’re hearing that the camera may be busted, but the rest of it should all work.  It’ll upgrade you to Android 2.3.4 which is fun and all, but for the first time that I can recall on an HTC device, will upgrade the version of Sense to 2.1.  All credit to @TeamAndIRC!  

Instructions:

• Download both the ROM (0ba18ca101a0295df37bba36b562d210)and the radio (52dd83aa40e30186c9fbefafd1bab534).
• Rename PG05IMG_gingerradio.zip to PG05IMG.zip and drop it onto the root of your SD Card.
• Put mecha_gingerjane.zip onto the root of your SD Card
• Boot into recovery
• Do a Nandroid Backup!
• Perform a factory reset
• Flash mecha_gingerjane.zip, DO NOT REBOOT
• Using ADB, reboot to bootloader
  • adb shell
  • reboot bootloader
• If in fastboot mode, switch to bootloader mode and allow the updated radios to flash.
• Enjoy!

*Note:  If the zip you downloaded from above is version 1.2, you’ll also have to flash this file to fix activation.

*Note 2:  There is a good chance that your camera will not work after flashing this.

Continued support and fixes can be found at this XDA thread.

Via:  Android Police

Download: Gingerbread (Android 2.3.4) for the HTC Thunderbolt is a post from: Droid Life