Custom Jelly Bean ROMs are everywhere and most Android devices already have unofficial builds of CyanogenMod 10 (CM10). One of the devices to receive the CM10 ROM update is the Acer Iconia Tab A500, courtesy of XDA Developers member waydownsouth. The said ROM is already  functional with the 90% of the hardware already working, according to the developer. 

The ROM is still in the early stages of development at this time and we cannot guarantee that the ROM will be fully functional. Also, do not expect to see some fancy customization features of CyanogenMod to be present yet, since CM10 itself is still in heavy development. Consider this ROM a sneak preview of Jelly Bean on your Acer Iconia Tab A500.

In this guide, learn how to upgrade the Iconia Tab A500 to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean via CyanogenMod 10 (unofficial).

Warning

• The instructions in this guide are intended for use with the Acer Iconia Tab A500. 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 hold any responsibility or liability for whatever happens to you or your device arising from your use of the info in this guide.
• Read and understand the whole guide first before actually performing the instructions.

Requirements

• Rooted Acer Iconia Tab A500 with custom recovery installed
  • Need help with rooting and ClockworkMod Recovery? You can refer to these guides:
    • How to root the Acer Iconia Tab A500
    • Install touch-enabled Amon Ra Recovery on Acer Iconia Tab A500
• Download the following files and save them to your computer:
  • CM10 ROM for the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (cm-10-20120815-UNOFFICIAL-a500.zip, md5sum: 3407120d66273abf32ca079352d34989)
  • GApps (Google Apps) Package (gapps-jb-20120726-signed.zip, md5sum: f62cfe4a827202899919fd932d5246d7)
• Backup all personal data on your tablet to make sure you have a copy of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the like) in case the procedure in this guide erases such data.
  • For backup tips, check our guides on how to sync your data to the cloud and how to create local backups of your mobile data.

Instructions

1. Copy the downloaded ZIP files to your tablet’s SD card.
2. Switch off your tablet.
3. Boot into ClockworkMod  Recovery. You can do this by pressing and holding down the Power button and Volume Up button until your tablet boots up into Recovery Mode. Use the Volume buttons to navigate and the Power button to select an option once inside Recovery Mode.
4. Select Wipe data/factory reset, then select Yes on the screen that follows to confirm data wipe.
5. Select Install ZIP from SD card.
6. Select Choose ZIP from SD card, then browse for the downloaded ROM ZIP file. Confirm the installation by selecting Yes on the next screen. It may take 5-10 minutes for your phone to finish the installation process.
7. After the ROM has finished installing, repeat this step but this time around choose the GApps package.
8. Head back to the main recovery menu by selecting Go back.
9. Reboot your phone by selecting Reboot system now. It may take a couple of minutes as this is the first time your phone will boot into Jelly Bean.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed CyanogenMod 10 on your Acer Iconia Tab A500.