It's official now. Both Cyanogen Inc. and CyanogenMod are dead. The successor to CyanogenMod will be Lineage OS.
While fragmentation is one of the biggest issues plaguing the Android ecosystem, it has also been one of the most beneficial aspects of the operating system, since it has allowed a number of OEMs to have their own builds of Android onto numerous smartphones, resulting in Google’s mobile OS becoming the largest market share holder in terms of usage. While OEM builds are the more popular ones out there, there are branches like CyanogenMod as well that have, over the years, built up a devoted fan base and massive developer community that continues to contribute to Cyanogen’s growth and development. And now, things might be headed in an even better direction for CM, as the team behind Cyanogen Inc. has met with Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella.
One of major reasons why smartphone enthusiasts opt for Android over other mobile OSes like iOS and Windows Phone 8 is because of Android’s relatively open nature. It allows users to customize every facet of their phone while iOS doesn’t, even with powerful theming systems like DreamBoard and WinterBoard in place. Android enthusiasts are often heard installing “Custom ROMs” on their devices; these modified versions of Android OS are cooked up by passionate and dedicated developers in their free time and we’ve mentioned some of the most popular ones after the break.
The community propping up CyanogenMod, one of the most popular aftermarket firmware available to Android users, is expansive to say the least, and with hardware maker Oppo having teamed up last year with the CM team to build a handset packing the versatile, customizable software pre-loaded, Oppo's spin-off company OnePlus appears to have taken things to the next level. The OnePlus One smartphone will run CyanogenMod 11S (based on Android 4.4) right off the bat, and with an impressive list of tech specs and a very agreeable price point, could prove a real hit with hack-minded consumers.
Oppo's N1 is already a pretty interesting device, and not just because it's not made by one of the big manufacturers that most people will be used to seeing on the release schedule. With the likes of LG, Sony, HTC and Samsung usually dominating the landscape, it's always good to see a different name crop up every now and again.
If you're packing one of the most popular Android phones on the planet and want to at least try to keep it in top condition, whether that be for resale value or just because you like to keep your gadgets looking good, then the chances are you're on the lookout for a nice looking, sturdy and protective case. If you're the owner of an LG Nexus 5, then you might want to keep reading.
The CyanogenMod team rarely slacks, but even by their standards, it has been a really busy past couple of weeks. Not too hectic, however, to have any major effect on the schedule it would seem, for CyanogenMod M1 has just been released, supporting most Nexus devices in the process. As we learned earlier on in the week, CyanogenMod 10.2 would be the last version supporting those old Android Jelly Bean ROMs, and in a matter of just 72 hours, the "Milestone 1" release of the Android 4.4 KitKat-based version 11 is upon us.
CyanogenMod 10.2 final based on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean has been released. This marks the end of CM based on Jelly Bean and work on CM 11 Android 4.4 KitKat has been started.
CyanogenMod is undoubtedly the biggest name in custom firmware when it comes to Android these days, and with good reason. With support spanning all the handsets that hackers and enthusiasts are likely to ever want, CyanogenMod is very likely to be available in some shape or form for the device that's currently sat in your pocket.
CyanogenMod remains one of the most popular after market firmware for Android devices. Renowned for its seamless, refined operation and general functionality, it is a credit to the great Steve Kondik, the man behind CM and the newly-founded Cyanogen company. Some feared that Kondik's decision to make it official, as it were, would be to the detriment of CyanogenMod, but as we've seen over the past month, it's simply not his way. Kondik has just teased CyanogenMod running on the newly-released Galaxy Note 3, and although it's not quite ready for prime time, those in ownership of the Samsung phablet finally have some good news.
