2012 11 19 20.34.22 577x1024 ROM Picks: Decks ReLoaded .500 RLS for the HTC EVO 4GDeck’s ReLoaded, a Gingerbread AOSP-based ROM for the HTC EVO 4G, has seen some development since we last checked in on it. The ROM is still an amazing piece of work, although the new enhancements aren’t all apparent from the changelogs.

The ROM still smokes anything I’ve seen in the Gingerbread EVO 4G world, but one of the problems with great development is that tweaks on such a powerhouse of a ROM just don’t jump out at you unless you go so much further beyond where you were.

Some of the neater things I’ve noticed with the new version were baking in Swype ICS Beta, Titanium Backup, ROM Toolbox, and Goo.im support for future OTA updates.

As with the last release, it takes the EVO 4G and makes the OS perform on par with most devices released in the past two years, with the notable exception of Chrome and some JB/ICS-only applications not being compatible.

The OS streaks along after the initial boot, and the responsiveness of the ROM and launcher is amazing. The only thing to suggest the phone is not cutting edge any more is when installing applications, as well as the performance of some more recent apps. You can change governors and overclock it if you want, but I did most of my playing with the stock settings.

The only bug I’ve had since installing this is that the initial boot hung, needing a battery pull – but after that it’s been flying along. If you’ve been looking for a ROM to get your old faithful EVO back in the fight, there’s probably not a better Gingerbread-based one out there at the moment.

One of the things you’ll also notice is a governor list a mile long which includes the Samurai, Smoothass, Virtuous, Superbad, Wheatley, Scary, Brazilianwax, Intellidemand, SavegedZen, MinMax, InteractiveX, ondemandx, lazy, lagfree, smartassV2, smartass, interactive, conservative, userspace, powersave, Lionheart, ondemand, and performance governors.

There’s so much with this ROM that is incredible for the hard core flashing aficionado; it feels like you’ve been given the keys to a truck full of dynamite and whiskey.

As this is an AOSP ROM, make sure to wipe, flash, and flash the GAPPS package for Gingerbread afterward, or you won’t have the Play Store. (It’ll be the Market first, and then it’ll update to Google Play later, but for that one brief shining moment you get that memory of when the EVO 4G was it – miles ahead of anything out there.)

This ROM is like reliving the first months of when this was the best phone on the market. In case it’s not evident, I rather liked it.

[xda-developers]