CyanogenMod 7 Released: Custom Android Firmware

by Jordan Yerman | April 11, 2011 at 07:26 am

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CyanogenMod 7.0 Is Ready for Download: What is CyanogenMod?

CyanogenMod 7.0 is now live. You can download CM7 here: select your handset (if it is supported) to begin.

For those new to Android hacking, CyanogenMod is a custom ROM that runs on the Android Open Source Project. Your Android phone is running a ROM right now: one installed by Verizon or T-Mobile or Rogers or O2 or whichever carrier sold you your phone. However, those firmware sets are old (installed well before you got your phone) and clunky.

Custom firmware such as CyanogenMod allows you to bypass carrier-dictated software limitations, as well as to optimize your phone's performance. Note that this is not the same as unlocking the phone. To unlock a GSM Android handset, enter the unlock code when prompted after installing a SIM card from another carrier.

CyanogenMod pushes your phone to Android 2.3.3, which is as far as it can go.

Among the CyanogenMod 7 features:

OpenVPN
WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G tethering
Incognito web browsing
Camera and audio player enhancements

You must root your Android phone before installing a custom ROM. As always, read the instructions twice and proceed at your own risk. While these builds may work in handsets similar to the ones listed, I do not recommend installing CyanogenMod in anything other than a stable release for a supported phone. Any deviation from that could lead to... complications.

You may end up bricking your phone, or having to reinstall all of its default settings. Neither would be fun. I must wait; my own handset is not yet supported.

Also see: Default apps included with CyanogenMod and CyanogenMod 7 Changelog.