SkyRaider Zeus Preview is by far my favorite ROM to date for the HTC Thunderbolt. Why? It just works. It’s fast, stable and not hard to figure out.

Although, there aren’t a whole lot of bells and whistles such as overclocking, option to toggle between 3G and 4G, I would rather run a stable ROM and then go download apps from the market that can do these types of things. This is just a preview build and the author of the ROM states there are a few bugs to work out, they’re not big where you’re going to notice them.

Directly from the author: “This ROM offers a lot of new enhancements and optimizations over stock Sense. I have made some new Quick Settings, enhanced parts of the ROM and even took skins to a new level.

The expanded status bar has been completely reconfigured and optimized. You will notice quite a few changes to it over stock. The approach I took was create more room by removing unnecessary items while retaining and even gaining functionality. The recent apps bar is hidden by default, but you can access it at any time by long pressing on the title bar. To switch to Quick Settings, simply tap the title bar once.

I have added seven additional Quick Settings and created four of them myself. This is really just the beginning in this arena. I already have plans underway for more customizations.

There are a few enhancements to Rosie including a remappable right button (via long press), drop to uninstall over the trash can, and an unlocked edit button to display application details.

Another unique thing about this rom is the addition I made to skins. The edge glow effect that you will find in this ROM can change colors simply by choosing another skin. Five skins are included with this ROM and each has a different edge glow color to match its theme. In addition, any other Sense 2.1 Gingerbread skin you find on the Internet will work with this ROM, however, if the edge glow graphics are missing, it will use the default images. A big thanks goes to wowthatisrandom for modifying the skins for me and helping out with testing.

Lastly, you will find the Sense 3.0 lock screen in here along with several screens to choose from. I also included the Sense 3.0 Weather application. A big thanks goes to seo for the lock screen and weather items.”

 

UPDATED 8/18/2011

SkyRaider Zeus Preview 2 has been released. Here are the changes:

v1.0 (Preview 2):

  • Same as Below Plus …
  • Bug Fixes for Incorrect Strings on the Lock Screens
  • Enabled the Sense 3.0 Incoming Call Screen
  • Fixed So All Applications Should Now Show Again in the Market
  • Added Two New Quick Settings
    • Wireless ADB*
    • Toggle for Wireless Tether App*
  • Added Google Car Home App
  • Added in Gadgets Animations
  • Removed My Verizon

With that being said, you can download ZeusPreview HERE. Place the .zip file on your SD card. Download the app ROM Manger from the market and click the option “Install ROM from SD Card”. This is for the HTC Thunderbolt only.