CyanogenMod 7.1 brings 24 Android phones into fold
Custom firmware updated
Android smartphone owners, rejoice! CyanogenMod, one of the better custom phone firmware offerings has been updated, adding support for 24 more handsets.
The list of added phones includes key recent releases from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola and HTC:
- HTC Desire S
- HTC Incredible S
- HTC Incredible 2
- LG Optimus 2X and T-Mobile G2x
- Motorola Backflip (Motus)
- Motorola Cliq / Cliq XT
- Motorola Defy
- Motorola Droid 2
- Motorola Droid X
- Samsung Captivate
- Samsung Fascinate
- Samsung Mesmerize
- Samsung Showcase
- Samsung Vibrant
- Samsung Galaxy S
- Samsung Galaxy S2 (multiple carriers)
- Sony Ericsson Xperia X8
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
- ZTE V9
CyanogenMod 7.1's coders also said the update includes pre-complete beta support for many other devices, including the LG Optimus 3D and the HP TouchPad tablet.
The team said the best way to install the software - widely prasied for its ability to rid phones of the apps and branding imposed by network operators - is through the ROM Manager tool, but it can also be downloaded separately. ®
COMMENTS
Thanks, PaulR79!
A most useful comment. Are you new here?
One of the better? One of the best!
For those who don't know about it I think the best way to describe it is stock Android on steroids. I've been running CyanogenMod on my phones since my G1 and have it on my current phone an HTC Desire HD. It's so fast in use and over the years the testing process has improved a lot, especially from the days of it being mainly Cyanogen where a small mistake meant lots of .1 builds quickly released after the stable versions.
For anyone wondering about the version this is Android 2.3.7 which surprised me as I was only expecting 2.3.5 but it's a good surprise. The tweaks in the ROM are fantastic and it's silky smooth in use no matter how long I've been using it. There are other ROMs, including some Sense-based builds for HTC phones and they are generally smooth to start with but some have a habit of slowing down the longer the uptime gets.
The new phones listed are mostly newer models but a few (Defy and other Motorola phones) are older phones, if you count September 2010 as old. Motorola pretty much said they wouldn't be getting updates beyond Android 2.1 so these custom ROMs are great for breathing life into an aging product. Madness really, abandoning a phone like that but that's what put me off Motorola in a big way as I own a Milestone. HTC and Samsung in the future, HTC preferred but they need to work on battery life.
Other variations
Note that there are also ports of CyanogenMod to loads of other handsets, including the El Cheapo LG GT540 that I picked up for my son. Apart from a slightly iffy resistive screen, it works brilliantly now, including all the Android 2.3 goodness such as VOIP, apps on SD etc.
Fantastic work all round.
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Unofficial_Ports
Re: PaulR79
I absolutely agree with everything PaulR79 said above. I would also add that, for budget devices like my San Francisco, you get much more free storage (230-odd MB free comapred to about half that for the stock ROM) and battery life has also improved despite the massive increase in performance. An iPhone toting colleague (an old 3G with a dieing battery) admitted my £99 SanFran significantly outperforms his iPhone on many apps and tasks with CyanogenMod.
Brings security permission revocation
7.1 brings support for granular security permissions control by application. For instance, you download a news reader app which has permissions for internet access, crude / fine location, you can disable the location permissions and the app *may* still work.
Settings > CyanogenMod Settings > Application > Permissions Management
