Samsung’s announcement a few weeks ago, that the original Galaxy S and its variants won’t be getting the official bump to Ice Cream Sandwich, seems to have had no effect on the rate at which  quality custom ICS ROMs are being developed for this phone. The latest on the block being SlimICS, a light, AOSP based custom Ice Cream Sandwich ROM cooked up by XDA developer krarvind.

The developer has stripped off quite a few apps, making the base ROM really light, just 73.2 MB, which is pretty good for an ICS ROM. Of course, he has also provided a link to a file containing removed apps & Google add-ons, should you want to flash any of them separately.

Have a look at the features, known issues & removed apps, below, quoted from the developer’s thread:

Built from AOSP 4.0.3 sources, with device folder and kernel from Team Hacksung

Highlights:

  • 5 Languages ( en ( us, uk), fr, it, de, es)
  • Zeam Launcher ( stock ICS launcher provided in addon package)
  • Basic Google Stuff Included ( 4.0.4 Gmail,Talk, Calendar and Contacts sync)
  • Market 3.4.4
  • Team Hacksung Kernel ( for now, flash any 4.0.3 kernel of your choice)
  • Rooted
  • Easy to customize.
  • 182 DPI ( use 240 for any incompatible apps or check here for market workaround)

What Works:

  • GPS
  • Bluetooth
  • Front and Back Camera/Video
  • 2G/3G Toggle
  • Wifi/Data
  • USB Tethering
  • Phone Call , they do need to work don’t they

What doesn’t:

  • Wifi Tethering?
  • You tell me

Removed Apps:

  • Email
  • Exchange
  • Galaxy4
  • Launcher2
  • OpenWnn
  • PinyinIME
  • QuickSearchBox
  • VideoEditor
  • Videos

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know exactly what you are doing. If any damage occurs to you or your device, including a bricked, non-functional device, we won’t be held liable. You have been forewarned!!!

Compatibility

This Rom and the guide below is compatible only and only with the Samsung Galaxy S, model number GT-i9000. It’s not compatible with any other device and may render an incompatible device unusable. Check your device model in Settings » About phone.

Pre-Installation Requirements

  • Rooted Galaxy S with Clockworkmod Recovery installed.
  • Fully Charged Battery
  • This procedure will wipe all your apps, data and settings (but it will NOT touch your SD cards, so don’t worry about those). Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you

Download Links

SlimICS |  Mirror 1

Filename: Slim_ICS_1.0.zip   |   Size: 73.2 MB

Removed Apps+Google Addons   |  Mirror

Filename: Slim_ICS_2.4_Removed_Apps_Google_Addon.zip   |   Size: 32.7 MB

How To Install SlimICS on your Galaxy S GT-i9000

  1. Download the SlimICS ROM file & Addons (Optional) (links provided above) to your desktop
  2. Transfer the  downloaded zip file to the internal SD card of your phone.
  3. Now power off the phone and reboot to recovery (Press and hold these 3 buttons together: VolumeUP+Home+Power till the Galaxy S logo shows up on screen. You’ll boot into CWM recovery soon enough)
  4. Perform a full Wipe.
    • Wipe data / factory reset –> then Select Yes- Wipe data/Factory reset on the next screen
    • Wipe Cache Partition –> then Select Yes- Wipe cache partition on the next screen
    • From the main menu, select Advanced, and then Wipe Dalvik Cache –>then Select Yes- Wipe Dalvik cache on the next screen
  5. Now scroll to “Install zip from sdcard” and select it.
  6. Select  “Choose zip from sdcard”. Scroll to the file you transferred in Step 2 and select it.
  7. Now confirm installation by selecting “Yes — Install Slim_ICS_1.0.zip. The ROM will start installing.
  8. In case you want to flash the add-ons or removed apps as well, just repeat Steps 5-7, but this time select the addons zip file.
  9. After the installation is complete, select “go back” and then select “reboot system now” to reboot your phone.
  10. That’s it! Enjoy SlimICS on your Galaxy S.

Note: The above guide should work perfectly if you are coming from a CM7 or another CM9 based ROM. In case you face issues, the best way to go about it is to flash back to a stock ROM and follow this alternate procedure from the original development thread.

Other Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Galaxy S Stuff

Btw, as you may already know, this is not the only ICS Galaxy S Rom available. Others being:

  • Cyanogenmod 9 – successor to CM7
  • Onecosmic’s ICS port – hugely popular and constantly developed by bunch of cool devs, and has been ported to other Galaxy S devices too, like Samsung Vibrant, Samsung Captivate, etc.
  • New AOKP Galaxy S Rom – A port on Galaxy S by Bhuvan, of the Rom made by team of devs under the Android Open Kang Project (I personally like this rom way too much, so would suggest to you guys too)

Do share you experience about SlimICS with us in comments below. And if you have also tried any other ICS rom, do compare them between each other and let us and other users know which is best according to you.