I plan to wait for the OTA ICS update.
My rezound is under two months old.
It is rooted and S-OFF (with stock hboot), but otherwise stock and ready for the OTA update.
I have not deleted any Verizon bloat apps.
The root access just allows me to run certain apps like Titanium Backup.
I will share my reasons with you:
The official Verizon/HTC ICS update will very soon become the baseline.
All ROMs will not only accommodate the Verizon/HTC ICS, but will soon demand it as a starting base.
Everyone will need to figure out how to get the Verizon/HTC ICS installed.
It might not install over the ICS leaks or the many available ROMs.
It is going to be a major amount of work, and it will likely also require a factory reset and reinstalling all apps and setting things up the way one likes.
I plan to avoid all this additional work and complication to my life by waiting for the Verizon/HTC ICS OTA update.
After the ICS update, I plan to make a nandroid backup.
Then I can play with ROMs and simply restore my nandroid backup - including boot/kernel from the nandroid backup.
I bet all ROMs will require and use the Verizon/HTC ICS radio firmware.
I predict there will be so many threads about putting back the stock hboot - bricking of phones by using the wrong hboot on the stock GB ROM, people rushing to S-OFF to RUU back to GB.
Don't get me wrong, I think S-OFF is a wonderful addition which is not likely to cause troubles. But bundling it with replacement hboots that can brick a phone if the wrong one is used based on firmware - I think its going to be a mess.
Anyway, I find stock GB works very well. Coming from a droid-x I really like the long-press on keyboard letters which Motorola did not have. I might even like the stock Verizon/HTC ICS enough to not bother with custom ROMs. Time will tell.
Regards,
Howard
