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CyanogenMod 7 hits 500,000 installs, eclipses previous milestone
Looks like another round of roman candles are in order. After already setting off the celebratory fireworks for its previous user install milestone, CyanogenMod 7's done it again -- this time reaching past the half a million mark. The highly customizable Android homebrew is arguably the biggest aftermarket OS in the ROM-flashing campus, and it has the numbers to back it up. According to the site's stats, the official release of 7.0.3 saw the biggest spike in handset installations -- at 76,897 -- with unofficial nightly builds almost doubling that figure. Sure, it sometimes seems like the rooting community is a vast, silent majority, but it's actually a wafer-thin slice of Google's mobile pie. Still, congratulations are in order for this open-source hackdom triumph. [Thanks, Chris]
PSA: Got a Nook Color? Then you can get dual-booting Nook2Android
Here comes a public service announcement: Eat slower and you'll feel fuller. Oh sorry, wrong one. We meant: Nook Color owners, you can now dual-boot your slate using the specially-created Nook2Android SD card. The card makes installing Android 2.3 a snap and it's now shipping with a dual-boot file courtesy of XDA developers, which means you can choose to boot into the original Nook OS without having to remove the card. You're looking at $35 for an 8GB card, rising to $90 for 32GB. Alternatively, if you're happy to get a bit of oil on your hands, you can try the manual approach. Mmmm, Gingerbread, chew every mouthful.
Native screencaps coming to CyanogenMod 7.1
Taking screenshots on Android devices is by and large a sore spot for pretty much anyone whose needed to perform the deed. Unless your phone is one of the few that supports the functionality, you must first root your handset and install third-party software -- or grab the Android SDK and access your device in USB-debugging mode from ddms. Regardless of how you get there, neither option is ideal. Now, the creators of CyanogenMod think they can do better. While rooting your phone is still a prerequisite, the operating system will bring native support for screen captures via a long-press on the power button. You can expect to receive this delightful new feature in the upcoming CyanogenMod 7.1, which is currently in Release Candidate status -- or, just check the nightly repository -- if you dare!
CyanogenMod 7 on the Nook Color hands-on (video)
It's hard not to love Barnes & Noble's Nook Color, especially if you're amongst those who'd rather look at text on a quality backlit screen than an e-paper display. Not only did we enjoy the e-book reader when we first reviewed it, but it keeps getting better thanks to updates to its hidden Android core plus the recent addition of its own app store complete with Pandora and Angry Birds. And while there's also a decent bundled web browser and music player, it's not the software that we like the most -- it's the hardware, and particularly the value proposition. See, $250 ($200 on sale) buys you a gorgeous 7-inch 1024x600 pixel capacitive IPS panel with excellent contrast and viewing angles, an 800MHz TI OMAP 3621 CPU, a PowerVR SGX 530 GPU, 512MB RAM, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, 8GB of built-in storage, an accelerometer, and a microSD card slot -- all wrapped in an attractive 12mm thin package. Sure, there's no 3G radio, no camera, no microphone, no ambient light sensor, and no haptic feedback, but despite its lower-end specs, the Nook Color just begs to be turned into a full blown Android tablet. And that's just what we did, by installing CyanogenMod 7 on Barnes & Noble's color reader, complete with Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) and the full suite of Google apps. Take a look at our screenshots gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video and impressions. %Gallery-125927%
Nexus S hacked and tweaked to slaughter benchmarks, reality be damned
It's always a good idea to take benchmarks with a grain of salt -- their synthetic tests don't always match up with real-world performance. But, we wouldn't blame you if you wrote them off completely after spying these results from Android Community forum member Simms22. Simms took his Nexus S, blessed it with a little Cyanogen Mod 7 pixie dust, overclocked it to 1.544GHz, and made a few other tweaks for good measure. The results? An absolutely unbelievable score of 10,082 in Smartbench2011. To put that in perspective, the 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos powering the Galaxy S II hit only 3,053 -- and remember, the Nexus S is working with a one core handicap. The creator of Smartbench has acknowledged there are bugs to be worked out (did besting the Xoom by 400 percent give it away?) but we're not quite ready to dismiss the numbers game completely -- then what excuse would we have for publishing copious amounts of bar charts? Update: The creator of Smartbench2011 confirms he's working on a new version, 1.2.1, which should fix the bugs.
Droid X gets friendly with CyanogenMod 7 beta, nightlies to follow (video)
After months of labor and many helping hands, a tenacious modder known as "cvpcs" has succeeded with his efforts to bring CyanogenMod 7 to the Motorola Droid X. While this is still a beta release, fixes are coming swiftly and the developer intends to deliver nightly updates to resolve the outstanding issues -- the camera is non-functional, for instance. If you're willing to take the plunge with this one, you'll need to revert to Froyo for sake of kernel compatibility (but don't worry, CM7 is Gingerbread-based). Also, the most recent set of Google apps aren't working yet, so you'll need to grab an older release. All the juicy details -- along with the CM4DX download -- can be found at the source, and we've included some helpful guides to get you on the right path. So if you're feeling wily this weekend and Moto's Gingerbread isn't fitting the bill, be sure to thank "cvpcs" for his dedication. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung shows affection to CyanogenMod, gives its devs a free Galaxy S II (update)
Let's see if we're grokking this: Samsung is not only telling the dev community it's okay to place custom ROMs on its flagship device, it's actually encouraging the practice by handing out free phones? Atinm, the developer responsible for prepping CyanogenMod on the Captivate and Vibrant, took to Twitter to praise the manufacturer for sending him a free Galaxy S II. From the looks of it, Samsung sent the phone to a select number of devs intent on building an official release of CM7 for the GSII. Unlocking bootloaders has already become the new fancy with manufacturers like HTC, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson jumping on the bandwagon, but this is the first time we've heard of a company doling out free devices to the custom ROM community. Does this mean that, instead of enforcing TouchWiz with an iron fist, Samsung is looking at how this practice could actually benefit consumers? We doubt this will be the case for all of the company's future Android phones, but wouldn't you love to live in a world where it was? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: As it turns out, this was not the first time a free device has been handed out to the CyanogenMod community. It's been done at least once before, when T-Mobile gave out a G-Slate in April.
New CyanogenMod lets you rule Android app permissions with an iron fist
We've recently seen Google crack down on rogue apps and patch some server-side security issues, but let's not forget Android does have a small measure of built-in security: app permissions. But as with those pesky EULAs, many users tend to breeze through the permissions screen. And Android forces even the most attentive readers to accept or deny all permissions requested by an app. But the newest nightly builds of the CyanogenMod custom ROM include a clever patch allowing users to grant and revoke permissions individually -- something like the TISSA security manager we're still awaiting. Obviously playing God with permissions can crash your applications: with great power comes great responsibility. But we figure if you're running aftermarket firmware on a rooted phone, you're comfortable experimenting. See how it works in the video after the break, then hit the source link to download.
CyanogenMod 7 tops 200,000 downloads, celebrations erupt as development goes forward
Congratulations to the fine developers of CyanogenMod, whose latest aftermarket Android OS, CyanogenMod 7, has surpassed 200,000 downloads -- a huge milestone for this homebrew community. Now supported on 26 devices, the hallmark of this custom ROM comes from its flexible user interface, greater customization options, bonus features and worthwhile performance improvements. While the project gained early notoriety from its dispute with Google, it's become an increasingly popular solution for those wanting to command their phone (or tablet) as they see fit. The latest revision, 7.0.3, includes numerous fixes and refinements since its 7.0 release, so there's never been a better time to check it out -- in fact, we're pretty sure the group would love to bring you aboard. Well done everyone, and keep up the good work.
ViewSonic G Tablet overclocked to 1.4GHz, goes on sale to celebrate
The G Tablet hasn't been getting much attention of late, slowly fading into obscurity as newer and fancier slates come floating on down the river. Now, thanks to XDA member pershoot, Viewsonic's Tegra 2 tab has a little extra spring in its step. He's managed to get it running at 1.4GHz (a 40 percent boost over stock) and, with the ability to run CyanogenMod 7, this 10.1-incher is definitely earning a reputation as something of a hacker's delight. Now it's even easier to afford, too, with Amazon knocking the price down to $280. Cheap and tweakable? Really, it doesn't get any better than that. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
CyanogenMod 7.0 is now final, ready for your consumption
Is your phone manufacturer's Android ROM not treating you quite the way it should? Worry not, Cyanogen's got your back as usual and has just released the final v7.0 of the CyanogenMod, now based on Android 2.3.3. There's an extensive list of supported Android handsets, which is now also augmented with a couple of tablets: the B&N Nook Color and the Viewsonic G Tablet. As usual with custom ROMs, we advise reading up and making sure you know what you're doing before you do it, but if you're already up to speed on the latest in homebrewed Android, this is the moment you've been eagerly waiting for. Full details of the changes made in version 7 plus instructions on how to get it set up on your Android device can be found below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Cyanogen Mod 6 -- the one with Froyo -- hits target list of devices, first stable release
If 6.0.0 RC1 just wasn't cutting it for ya, CyanogenMod-6.0 has released what's being touted as the "first stable release based on Android 2.2" and has hit the target number of supported devices, which by our quick count includes EVO 4G, Slide, Nexus One, Dream / Magic, Aria, and Droid -- and we might be missing a few.. You know the drill; if you need a bit of Froyo in your mobile life. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Cyanogen squeezes Android 2.2 Froyo into G1, MyTouch 3G
Earlier this evening, we took the plunge -- now, we're rocking Froyo on our formerly old-and-busted T-Mobile G1. That's because Cyanogen's team of ROM hackers has come through once again for the little handset that could, serving early adopters with HTC Dream and Magic phones (as well as the Nexus One) with the first fully-functioning, stable build of CyanogenMod 6. Based on Google's famous frozen yogurt, the release candidate's got more fabulous tweaks than you can shake a stick at, but sadly doesn't seem to include Flash 10.1, and though WiFi and the camera are working great (as well as SurfaceFlinger and Chrome to Phone) many would-be shoppers in the Android Market are finding themselves faced with the dreaded force close. As usual, you'll find instructions at the source link if you understand the risks -- if you're not careful, you can easily brick your phone. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Cyanogen 5.0.7 experimentally brings Eclair to G1, myTouch 3G -- caveats apply
After a brief delay, looks like CyanogenMod 5 is now out for the HTC Dream, Magic and Sapphire, also known as the T-Mobile G1 and myTouch 3G. The release is labeled as experimental, so take care not to flash it onto your work phone, and G1 owners should back up their data as they'll need to install a little something called the DangerSPL (which has phone bricking potential) and perform a full wipe. If you're the kind of individual who doesn't shy away from software explicitly labeled "danger," get cracking on that rooted Eclair at the source link. Update: Can't get through? That's because the sheer willpower of Android early adopters is crushing websites hosting the CM5 ROM like so many stale pretzels. Cyanogen is retweeting alternative options if you simply can't wait for things to quiet down.
Cyanogen ports Android 2.1 to G1 and MyTouch 3G (update)
Droid, Milestone, Eris, Moment, Spica, even the Hero, all have had their Eclair, one way or another. G1 and myTouch 3G? Not so much. But don't worry, Android early adopters, because Cyanogen's got your back. Most all the bells, whistles and hardware-accelerated graphics of Android 2.1 are coming to the HTC Dream, Magic and Sapphire in CyanogenMod 5.0.7, and you can see a video of a T-Mobile G1 running the new build after the break. Twitter buzz indicates the ROM will be out any minute now is nearly ready; the dev himself tweeted that it's good to go and just needs G1-friendly bite size packaging. Update: Don't stay up all night waiting -- Cyanogen says he's got "two more bugs to kill" and is "hoping for a test1 public beta tomorrow night." [Thanks, Philosophics]
Cyanogen Android ROM modder bends to Google's will but does not break
Late last week word hit the Android community that the developer of the Cyanogen Android ROM received a cease-and-desist from everyone's favorite "do no evil" company, Google. Many reacted negatively to Google asking a developer to not modify what is purported to be an open-source operating system, but the issue was not with the OS; rather it was with the apps that ship on it, things like Google Maps and Gmail -- things that are most definitely not open source -- which Google does not want distributed on modified flavors of Android. The solution, according to the dev, is to simply remove them from the ROM, but to provide a way for users to install them back on their devices. The dev will be working on an app that will enable users to back up those applications and then, after the ROM has been installed, to restore them like new. It certainly sounds like a tidy way around Google's restrictions, albeit one that is going to take a considerable amount of time to implement, the net result of which will be exactly like before. That leaves us wondering: was this really worth the bad PR for the Googs?
Google hits Android ROM modder with a cease-and-desist letter
So this is interesting: apparently Google's hit the developer of the Cyanogen modded Android ROM with a cease-and-desist letter, asking him to stop distributing the closed-source Google apps like Gmail, Maps, and YouTube. What's a little strange is that Cyanogen is targeted at "Google Experience" devices like the G1 and myTouch, so it's not like Google is really protecting anything here -- leading us to wonder if they're just using the copyright argument to shut down a popular mod that's tempted over 30,000 users into rooting their phones. That's just speculation on our part, though -- the dev says he's trying to open a dialogue with Google, so perhaps we'll find out some more answers soon.[Via Android and Me]
