A few weeks back, the official Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich firmware known as UCLC5 for the Galaxy Note was leaked on the Internet. It didn’t take long before numerous custom ROMs based on the UCLC5 firmware sprouted like wild mushrooms. One of the newest to emerge for the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note SGH-I717 is the NOTEWorthy ICS v1 custom ROM, developed by XDA Developers forum member playm4neezy.

Here’s a look at the important features of the NOTEWorthy ICS v1 Beta:

• Major Battery Tweaks
• Few Performance Tweaks
• Increased overall network speed
• Added AOSP ICS Calendar with widget
• Removed Bloat: Buddies Now, City ID, lcdtest, Media Hub, MiniDiary, MobilePrint, PolarisOffice, Samsung Apps, Samsung News Widget, Samsung Program Monitor Widget, Samsung Weather Clock Widget, Social Hub, SNS Accounts (they are irrelevant), Social Hub Widget, Voice Talk, WISPR
• Deodexed and zip-aligned
• Rooted
• AOSP Lock Screen
• Removed TW Launcher

The NOTEWorthy ICS v1 ROM is currently a work in progress, with some bugs that need squashing. Some of the bugs include those in video recording and saving videos, as well as force closures when installing the Phone APK. Panoramic Mode also doesn’t work. These bugs should be fixed in later releases, but don’t let that discourage you. The ROM appears to be stable enough for daily use.

If you still can’t wait for the official ICS upgrade for the Galaxy Note then the NoteWorthy ROM might just suit your cravings. Check out the guide below to install it on your phone.

Warning/Disclaimer

• The instructions in this guide are intended for use with the AT&T Galaxy Note, model number SGH-I717.  Applying these instructions on another device or model may produce undesired outcomes.
• The information in this guide is provided for instructional and educational purposes only.  There is no guarantee that these instructions will work under your specific and unique circumstances.
• Use these instructions at your own risk.  We shall not claim any responsibility or liability for whatever happens to you or your device arising from your use of the info in this guide.

Requirements

• Rooted AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note SGH-I717 with ClockworkMod Recovery installed. Check out the guides below for more information:
• • How to Root Samsung Galaxy Note and Install CWM Recovery
  • How to Root Your Samsung Galaxy Note [Video]
  • Rooting AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note SGH-I717 Without Incrementing Flash Counter
  • How to Root and Install Custom Recovery in Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 – Tutorial
• Fully charged battery or at least 70% battery left
• Backup your personal information and important data (i.e., contacts, call logs, files and Internet settings), so that just in case something goes wrong, you have a back up. You can read our guides on how to backup your data locally and how to backup your data to the cloud.

Instructions

1. Download the NOTEWorthy ICS v1 Beta ROM (NOTEWorthy-i717-v1.0-041812-signed.zip, md5sum: 7c51cc9d3120717f64b7dbed8c8c382c) from here and save it to your PC.
2. Plug your Galaxy Note to your PC.
3. Copy the downloaded ROM to the root of your phone’s SD card.
4. Safely disconnect your phone from your PC.
5. Switch off your phone.
6. Boot into ClockworkMod Recovery. You can do this by pressing and holding down the Volume Up and Power buttons.
7. Inside Recovery, perform a Nandroid Backup of your existing ROM. In case something should not function in this ROM, you can easily revert to the current ROM that you are using. You can perform a backup by selecting Backup and Restore, and on the screen that follows select Backup. Go back to the main recovery menu once backup is complete.
8. Select Wipe data/factory reset and confirm the reset on the next screen.
9. Select Mounts and storage, then perform the following formats:
   • Select Format System and select Yes to confirm formatting your phone’s system
   • Select Format Data and select Yes to confirm formatting your phone’s data.
   • Select Format Cache and select Yes to confirm formatting your phone’s cache.
10. Select Advanced > Wipe Dalvik cache and confirm the cache wipe on the next screen.
11. Head back to the main recovery menu.
12. Select Install zip from sdcard, then select Choose zip from sdcard. Browse for the downloaded ROM file and select it to start flashing the ROM.
13. Select Go Back to head back to the main recovery menu.
14. Select Reboot System now to reboot your phone.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed the NOTEWorthy ICS v1 ROM on your AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note SGH-I717.