Help with Acer a500

[RTSDaddy2]

Ok guys, needing your help once again.  On this stuff I feel REALLY stupid.

I managed to root the Acer a500 I have to a stock root, and as far as I can tell thor's CWM 1.7.3 is installed on the tablet (I did so via Acer Recovery app from Google Play);  as I understand it by reading the XDA forums if I want to try installing the custom 4.1 rom that's out there, I'll need to have an unlocked ICS bootloader as well as the rom itself. 

It's at that point that my understanding goes straight out the window.  I appreciate the hard work of the developers at XDA, especially blackthunder3 (I know I've got the 3 in the wrong place),  but when I start reading the installation guides for both unlocked boootloader and the rom itself it just gets too technical for me.

Question: Does anybody here have an Acer a500 that you've modded to run Jelly Bean and if so can you put it in layman's terms for me so that I might "safely" do the same thing?  I know if I try to follow the current online guides I'll brick it just as sure as I'm sitting here because I can't seem to follow what the XDA folks are talking about after a while.

[RTSDaddy2]

Never mind, it's done - but I blame near had four heart attacks doing it.

I finally got the guide figured out...black thund3r has a marvelous one at xda....BUT....

as I was going through it, a pop-up window NOT listed in the guide came up that told me if  I was doing it right the white text "in APX mode" would be flashing; if it wasn't check the drivers.  I clicked "No" for not flashing, and expected the program to just close.  Unfortunately it kept running - and THAT's where I nearly goofed.

After two hours I knew something was wrong, so like an idiot I turned the tablet off then unplugged from the PC. Turned it back on - powered up fine, but only to a black screen.  I panicked, of course, knowing I'd bricked it.    

Mercifully that also was not the case - it was still in APX mode.  After about 10 minutes passed the intelligent side of my brain said "Wait - if it's still in APX mode, maybe I can fix it by trying the flash progam again.  Sure enough, once I flashed it again and hit "Yes" for the question about was the text flashing, I had my tablet back.  ..and I was in an unlocked boot loader which is needed for flashing roms.  Everything works for the most part....recovery, bootloader etc.  And yes, this time I'd made a nand BEFORE I did all this. 

BOTTOM LINE - If you play with fire, you may get burned.  If you at least read the instructions on the charcoal bag, though, maybe you won't go up in smoke completely.

[SithMaster]

Does the case get hot/unusually warm during use and since your update does it seem sluggish going through menus?  I've been thinking of getting an A200 but have been thinking of the A500 since it has better speakers and the mini hdmi might be useful.  The prices for used on amazon are about the same but here and there I read that the battery life on the A200 is better by about two hours, I will probably never care to use that hdmi, and headphones will be used more often than the speakers.  As far as the A500 goes anything worth complaining about aside from the sd slot cover and how the battery isn't user replaceable?

[RTSDaddy2]

Never have seen the case  heat up any at all and seems faster to my wife and I with update. Speakers are better on a500 and it has front and rear facing cams. Haven't used hdmi much but nice knowing I can.

 Battery: display just bright enough to see, speakers off wifi on steady and I get 13-14 hours on full charge.   Biggest complaint would be that SD cover no idea why designed like that.  No other complaints I can name you...love mine!

 Owned the 200 for a week, 500 is far superior, feels better balanced. Able to transfer files from 1 TB hard drive portable w. no probs.  Good headphones rock on 500, not so much on 200. Splurge, get a500 32 GB model though.