CyanogenMod shelves ICS/Jelly Bean support for Snapdragon S1 devices

The CyanogenMod team has announced that it won't be able to officially support phones powered by first-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon chips in version 9 or 10 of its popular custom firmware. The CM team broke the news on Google+, where it revealed that a combination of hardware limitations and concerns for user experience quality were behind the decision. This means many older Android handsets that shipped in Q1 and Q2 2010, such as HTC's Nexus One, Desire and EVO 4G, will not see official CyanogenMod 9 or 10 builds, and will have to look elsewhere for their ICS or Jelly Bean fix. All affected devices will continue to be supported on the Gingerbread-based CyanogenMod 7.x branch, the team says.

Explaining the technical issues behind the decision, CM highlighted the good old Nexus One. In order to run CM9 or 10, the phone's internal memory would need to be repartitioned, and even then the lack of certain proprietary code for the phone's SoC (system-on-a-chip) would've made for a janky user experience -- "the pieces just aren't there." The team notes that it wouldn't be impossible to get ICS or Jelly Bean running on this hardware, but that doing so could break third-party application support because of the hackiness of the code involved.

If you still want Android 4.x on your Nexus One, you'll certainly be able to do so on other custom ROMs (and unofficial CM builds), though you'll sacrifice stability in order to do this. It's unfortunate, but when you remember that most of these phones shipped more than two years ago on Android 2.1 or earlier, it's not all that surprising.

We've got the full list of affected devices after the break.

Source: +CyanogenMod

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Jelly Bean is now running on the (wait for it) Optimus S via a CyanogenMod 10 port

 

The LG Optimus One line will never die. I have a feeling that one day, far into the future where apes control the planet and man is farmed like livestock, The little Optimus that could will still be going strong and folks will be hacking them with their stubby, apish hands. As proof, I offer Android Developer drewwalton19216801's CyanogenMod 10 (Jelly Bean) port for the Optimus S. 

It's not perfect, as Drew puts it "There will be bugs, and things may crash from time to time", and the usual suspects like camera and MMS still need some work, but I'd wager that more than a few of the folks using and loving the Optimus S will be more than happy to run this as their daily driver. 

We're still waiting for Ice Cream Sandwich on some of last years best phones (hello there, HTC Rezound) but this is proof positive that a little bit of source code and some awesome developers can make magic happen. Whether you're using the Optimus S, or just a fan of all things awesome, hit the link below and have a look. Be sure to give Drew a little well-earned love!

CyanogenMod 10 port for the Optmus S 

 

CyanogenMod 9 RC2 emerges with new devices, stability improvements

As it rapidly approaches a final, stable release, CyanogenMod 9 has reached the second release candidate milestone, or RC2. CM9, based upon Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, supports dozens of devices, and the latest release candidate adds support for several high-profile Samsung phones and tablets --

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (all variants)


• Samsung Galaxy SII on AT&T – Skyrocket


• Samsung Galaxy SII on T-Mobile – Hercules


• Samsung Galaxy Note on AT&T


• Samsung Galaxy SIII – i9300 (International GSM model)

In addition, CyanogenMod lead Steve Kondik says the new release includes bug fixes and new translations, and stabilizes CM into "a product that you’d let your mom use." As for the full, final, stable version of CM9, Steve says should be "just around the corner." Once CM9's out the door, work on the next version, based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, should begin in earnest.

If you know what you're doing and want to skip straight to the download, check our linkage below.

Source: CyanogenMod.com

Download: get.cm

Steve Kondik talks CyanogenMod at SF Android User Group

The day before Google I/O kicked off, Steve "Cyanogen" Kondik of CyanogenMod fame visited the San Francisco Android User Group, were he gave a complete rundown of everything relating to the popular custom firmware. From its roots on the T-Mobile G1, right up to its current status as the leading custom ROM for Android, supported across dozens of devices.

The SF Android User Group's founding company Marakana has published a full video of the CM lead's hour-long presentation. There's a lot of detail, and it's definitely worth your time if you're the slightest bit interested in learning how the CM team takes the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code and transforms it into something that'll run on a slew of recent -- and not-so-recent -- Android phones and tablets.

What's arguably most interesting is the section on the challenges facing the CM team when a new version of Android drops, or when a manufacturer releases kernel source code, as well as the headaches posed by the proprietary code used in graphics drivers and camera firmware.

We've got the video embedded after the break, and we challenge you to watch it and not develop a newfound respect for the talented folks who bring custom ROMs to life.

Source: Marakana; via: +CyanogenMod

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Video: Steve Kondik and team discuss the CyanogenMod Project at Google I/O

CyanogenMod is by far the most high-profile Android ROM out there; millions of users have CyanogenMod installed on their devices. The CyanogenMod ROM is stock Android (currently based on Android 4.0), with extra features that give you greater control over your device.

As you’re undoubtedly aware, Google held its I/O developer conference last week in [...]]]>

CyanogenMod 9 nightlies now available for the HTC Sensation

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Back in March we let you all know that the CyanogenMod team had set up CM9 source repos for the HTC Sensation (also known as Pyramid) but after that things sort of fell quiet. Here it is now May and we're seeing the first build of CM9 appear for the masses. If you're looking to give it a go, you can head on over to the CyanogenMod download site using the link below but keep in mind, some things may be broken. Coincidentally, all of this is happening now, while we're only a few days out from T-Mobile officially rolling out Ice Cream Sandwich to the device.

Source: CyanogenMod

CyanogenMod 7.2 RC2 builds starting to appear for some devices

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

As promised last week, fresh release candidate for the Android 2.3-based CyanogenMod 7.2 are starting to appear, bringing the popular custom firmware to a handful of new devices, while bringing the usual mix of software enhancements and bug fixes. A quick glance at the CyanogenMod download site reveals that CM7.2 RC2 builds are now available for a number of popular devices, including the LG Optimus Black, 2X and 3D, and a number of Galaxy S variants.

As the CM team mentioned in their status update last week, development of CM7 is scheduled to continue beyond version 7.3, even as many devices transition to the ICS-based CyanogenMod 9. New additions to the CM stable in version 7.2 RC2 include the HTC Status (aka ChaCha), HTC Wildfire S, LG Optimus Chic, Motorola Photon and Samsung Galaxy 5.

Check the source link for download info.

Source: CyanogenMod

Future of CyanogenMod 7 detailed, new device support on the way

While much of the custom ROM community is focused on getting the latest and greatest Ice Cream Sandwich-based goodies onto their devices, the CyanogenMod team continues work on the Gingerbread-based CM7. The current iteration, CyanogenMod 7.2, is being developed alongside the upcoming CyanogenMod 9, and a final release is coming "soon" according to the latest status update.

There's also good news for owners of devices that won't make it up to CM9 -- development on version 7 will continue beyond 7.2, so hopefully no-one should be left in the lurch. Finally, the CM team announced that five new devices have been added to the nightly list for CM7.2 -- the HTC Status (aka ChaCha), HTC Wildfire S, LG Optimus Chic, Motorola Photon and Samsung Galaxy 5.

There're more details to be found in the full CM status update, over at the source link.

Source: CyanogenMod

CyanogenMod 9 and MIUI 4 ported to Tegra powered HTC One X

Growing tired of HTC Sense 4.0 on your Tegra 3 powered HTC One X? Over the weekend, the Android development community managed to get CyanogenMod 9 and MIUI 4 up and running on HTC’s quad-core flagship phone. As always, the first versions of these ROMs are not perfect.

CyanogenMod 9 is slow to connect to 3G and currently does not feature any camera or WiFi hotspot capabilities. On the plus side, the developers have remapped the buttons on the HTC One X so that the multitasking button now acts as the menu button. This eliminated the black menu bar which would appear across the bottom of the screen on applications which were not optimized for Android 4.0.

While MIUI may not have as many fans as CyanogenMod, a leaked beta of MIUI 4 for the One X is fully functional. The developers managed to keep the stock HTC camera, gallery and music (including Beats Audio) applications in order to retain the unique media capabilities of the HTC One X.

If you’re the adventurous type, click on the source links below and install a custom ROM on your Tegra 3 powered HTC One X. Are any of you planning on running custom ROMs on your HTC One X or will you be sticking to the stock HTC Sense 4.0 experience?

HTC One X CyanogenMod 9 via The Verge
HTC One X MIUI 4 via HD Blog

CyanogenMod 9, Galaxy Nexus 4.0.4 improvements [From the Forums]

We've blasted through a bunch of content this week and managed to get up a new Android Central podcast for you all. If you missed out on anything, this weekend would be a good time to get yourself caught up and hang out in the Android Central forums:

• HTC Thunderbolt Forums - CM9 WILL be coming officially to the Thunderbolt
• HTC Rezound Forums - Volume rocker to take pictures possible?
• Sprint Epic 4G Forums - Can I remove stuff from a ROM zip before flashing?
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus Forums - Screen a lot better after 4.0.4
• Motorola XOOM Forums - Force update to 4.0.4 [Positive Results]

If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.

CyanogenMod introduces new mascot: Cid

After a long run with skateboarding Bugdroid "Andy" as their mascot, the team behind popular custom firmware CyanogenMod has unveiled a new robotic character to carry the CM banner forward. His name is Cid, and he's the little robot guy you see in the image above.

Cid -- a play on CID, or CyanogenMod ID -- is the result of the CM developers inviting fans to submit character designs over the past few weeks, and he's based on a creation by CM fan Caio Alves. Cid is a little more humanoid than Android's well-established Bugdroid character. Alves says he wanted the design to feel like "an evolution of what we had before", adding "it's a huge challenge to try to evolve something people know and love."

In an official blog post, the CyanogenMod team says it wants its new mascot to embody the idea of CM being more than just "stock Android on a zillion devices". This ties in with the devs' recent efforts to establish their work as a stand-alone OS based on Android, rather than just another custom ROM.

So as CyanogenMod 9 development continues, we'll be seeing a lot more of Cid. Hit the source link for more background on how Cid was brought to life.

Source: CyanogenMod

CyanogenMod 9, Galaxy Nexus 4.0.4 improvements [From the Forums]

We've blasted through a bunch of content this week and managed to get up a new Android Central podcast for you all. If you missed out on anything, this weekend would be a good time to get yourself caught up and hang out in the Android Central forums:

• HTC Thunderbolt Forums - CM9 WILL be coming officially to the Thunderbolt
• HTC Rezound Forums - Volume rocker to take pictures possible?
• Sprint Epic 4G Forums - Can I remove stuff from a ROM zip before flashing?
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus Forums - Screen a lot better after 4.0.4
• Motorola XOOM Forums - Force update to 4.0.4 [Positive Results]

If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.

Hands-on video with root options in CyanogenMod 9

As you might've heard, popular custom ROM CyanogenMod 9 is introducing some changes in the way it handles root access. The gist of it is that root is now an option, not the default setting. It's still available if you need it, but you'll need to go into "developer options" and select whether you want apps, ADB or both to have root when you're done flashing your ROM.

As you'll see in our new video, if you try to run a root app without this setting enabled, you'll get a message directing you to the root setting. It's a bit like the "unknown sources" option that blocks non-Google Play apps by default -- enabled as standard for added security, but easy to bypass if you want.

We've got a quick video walkthrough after the jump.

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CyanogenMod 7.2 release candidate now live with support for 69 Android devices

The first major CyanogenMod release of the year is upon us, as the leading custom Android firmware launches the first release candidate (RC) build for version 7.2. CM release candidates are generally considered stable enough for regular use, and are intended to flush out the last remaining bugs before the final release. In addition to the large jump in the number of supported devices, currently at 69 for the new release candidate, CM 7.2 adds bug fixes and new features. These include a few which have back-ported from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Others, such as the T9 predictive phone dialer, are found in manufacturer ROMs but not stock Android.CyanogenMod 7.2 is still based on Gingerbread, so the list of supported devices focuses on phones and tablets running Android 2.3.7 or older. CyanogenMod 9, the next major version, is based on Android 4.0. Early nightly builds of CM9 are available for a few devices, including the Galaxy S II, Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S.Hit the source link for the gigantic list of CM 7.2-supported phones. We've got the full changelog after the break.Source: CyanogenMod