CyanogenMod

While it has not hit the United States yet, Samsung’s Galaxy Note tabphone has been frolicking around Europe since the fall. Samsung announced last week that sales in Europe have topped 1 million. Sadly, the device still has not seen an official Android 4.0 build from Samsung (as promised), but luckily, developers have worked to fix the dilemma. Maui on the XDA-Developer Forums released an experimental port of Android 4.0 for the Galaxy Note using CyanogenMod 9. Older and more stable versions of CyanogenMod were also used to port Ice Cream Sandwich onto other devices like the Kindle Fire and HP TouchPad.

It is worth noting that this build is unstable. However, if you have a Galaxy Note and are ready to try Ice Cream Sandwich, this might be worth the effort. Current known bugs include the camera not working, unstable BlueTooth, battery usage not working, and MTP mode not working. What does work, however, is Wi-Fi, 3G, touchscreen, and sensors. Go to the XDA-Developer Forums for the full instructions on how to install this port.

Expand
Expanding
Close

A faithful developer on the DroidForums has ported Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to the Droid Bionic. The Ice Cream Sandwich port is based off Cyanogenmod 9 that was also used in the Ice Cream Sandwich port to the Kindle Fire and more. As of today all seems to be working well and dandy in this alpha, except 3G/4G data, camera, and stable USB mounting support. This might be worth checking out if you are daring, or in the mean time, you can wait for the official release by Motorola in early 2012. For those interested in installing, hit up the DroidForums for the full list of details.

Expand
Expanding
Close

The MotoACTV was announced in the fall and is flaunted as the ultimate sports watch for those who are active. It ships with Android 2.3 and a custom skin on top, and one would not think the wristwatch could ever be rooted. However, like every other Android device out on the market, the MotoACTV was rooted with Revolutionary’s zergRush exploit. The root enables full Android 2.3 on the wristwatch. As you can see above with the Angry Birds start screen, users can even access the Android Market with the help of CyanogenMod. (via The Verge)

While we do not know if this is exactly useful, it is cool -nonetheless- seeing a tablet user interface run on a 1.6-inch display. The MotoACTV 8GB version is available for $209 on Amazon, and the 16GB version is available for $299. Check it out in action after the break:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Amazon started to roll out another over-the-air update to the Kindle Fire, putting the device at version 6.2.1. The company announced tonight that the update would improve performance and touch responsiveness, allowing a user to choose the items appearing in the carousel. It also gives the ability to add a password lock on Wi-Fi access. To install version 6.2.1, tap the ‘sync’ button in the right corner, or a user can manually install it by downloading the file.

Tonight’s fixes come after many users complaining since getting their device. Our own Seth Weintraub even gave his two cents about the device’s speed in his review:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Following the release of Cyanogenmod 7 on the Kindle Fire, an Xda-Developers user has ported the latest and greatest Ice Cream Sandwich to the device. The port is currently a bit sketchy — missing audio, Wi-Fi, accelerometer, and light sensor — but does have a working touch panel and hardware graphics. The forum user promises a release of the code in the near future, and we can promise you this project isn’t for the feeble. You have to remember there’s no going back if you mess up. But it doesn’t hurt to look does it? Head on after the break to see the port in action.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Developer JackpotClavin has released CyanogenMod 7 for Amazon’s Kindle Fire, and it is now available over on the XDA forums. Before you install we must warn that this version isn’t very stable. There is also no way to revert the Kindle Fire back to your original settings, so there’s literally no going back. That being said, read on for the directions!

Expand
Expanding
Close

If you want to put Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on your tablet or a smartphone on your own terms, you’ll have to wait until the CyanogenMod is updated with Android 4.0 support. According to a tweet by Android coder @cyanogen (via the Verge), the new version of the CyanogenMod is due in two months.

For those not in the know, the CyanogenMod project allows owners of rooted Android devices to install the latest firmware themselves rather than wait for their carrier to deliver it. The project supports a bunch of devices, some fifty builds are available for various Android products.

Expand
Expanding
Close

.

Discovered by Android and Me, CyanogenMod’s founder Steve Kondik is joining Samsung as a Software Engineer according to a Facebook posting. Sadly, Steve says CyanogenMod won’t be affiliated with Samsung in any way, but Steve told Android and Me he will be working on making Android more awesome. Luckily, it doesn’t appear he will be shutting down CyanogenMod.

 ”I won’t be blogging about Samsung, especially not in relationship to CM. I will be working on making Android more awesome, though.”

This is an exciting development.  Hopefully Samsung devices will get updated much quicker now.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Rooted OS Cyanogenmod has hit 506,046 users according to its stats page. The half-million number comes from 378,4440 official installs and 127,606 unofficial installs. With the amount of Android phones out there, we’re pretty surprised at how low this number is. The top devices include:

• HTC Desire 70,630
• HTC EVO 4G 39,654
• Motorola Defy 28,956
• Nexus One 26,707
• Motorola Droid 21,335

via Android Central
Expand
Expanding
Close