Android 4 based CyanogenMod 9 goes release candidate

More than six months after Google published the source code for Android 4.0, code-named "Ice Cream Sandwich" (ICS), the CyanogenMod team has released the first release candidate of CyanogenMod 9 based on that source code. This release comes just as Google is expected to launch the next version of Android, code-named "Jelly Bean", at its Google I/O conference. CyanogenMod RC1 is available for 37 devices and support for several more devices is expected to be added with future release candidates.

The long development time for the latest version of the CyanogenMod team's open source custom ROM is a result of the big changes brought about in jumping from version 2.3.7 to 4.0.4 of Android. The developers state that the move "in many ways was a fresh start for this project" – aside from the code changes, the underlying organisation of the CyanogenMod project has changed as well, something that the developers hope will pay off in the future.

CyanogenMod 9 RC1 is the first version of the ROM which does not include root access by default. This change fixes potential security problems while at the same time being unnoticeable to most users. For users who need root access this feature can be enabled from within the system settings to allow for USB debugging and applications that need root access.

A final release date for CyanogenMod 9 has not been announced, but interested developers can download a version of the release candidate for their specific device from the redesigned get.cm web site or through the ROM Manager application on their phone or tablet. Users should be aware that RC1 is still considered experimental and flashing it may brick the device. The developers encourage users to report bugs they find through the CyanogenMod issue tracking system.

See also:

• CyanogenMod 7.2 gets backported Android 4.0 features, a report from The H.
  

(fab)