I know it makes little difference, but the signal bar issue in 2.1 is really just a software thing. The actual signal you receive won't be any different on a phone running 1.5, 2.1 or 2.2. It is really just a glitch with the meter itself. That said, I do understand the want of seeing an accurate representation of your current signal. Even rooted though, all the Sense based ROMs are going to have this issue. You won't get away from it until a vanilla ROM is loaded on your phone.
You're not the only one. I loved that little guy.
I wonder if anyone has that boot animation sitting on a shelf that they can offer.
It really was. I think the only real bug was the YouTube app.