CyanogenMod 10.1 released, monthly release series begins

After just over six months of development and some tentative early nightly releases for some devices, the CyanogenMod developers have now declared version 10.1 of their alternative Android-based firmware ready for general use. CyanogenMod 10.1.0 is based on the Android 4.2.x "Jelly Bean" family of releases and focuses mostly on integrating the features of the upstream AOSP (Android Open Source Project) into the third-party firmware. The CyanogenMod developers say that they will now start to focus on adding new functionality of their own with more frequent monthly releases.

CyanogenMod 10.1.0, the second release of the firmware based on Jelly Bean, will not be available for a number of devices, including those using a Tegra 2 graphics engine and some Samsung devices that use variants of the Exynos chipset. The CyanogenMod developers state that "at this time, we do not plan on incorporating devices that did not receive a RC into this release," but say that they will soon provide users of these phones and tablets with a status update on how their devices will be supported going forward. A list of devices that can be flashed with CyanogenMod 10.1 is available on the CyanogenMod wiki.

With the next few releases, which are planned to arrive monthly (hence their labelling as "M-series"), the developers plan to build on the AOSP Jelly Bean foundations and deliver new features of their own making, such as the new privacy mode that has already been merged into the code base and will be tested in upcoming nightly releases.

CyanogenMod 10.1.0 can be downloaded from the CyanogenMod mirror network. Users of CyanogenMod 10 can update their devices – if they are supported by the new version – with the built-in over the air (OTA) update mechanism that can be found in Settings ➤ About phone. The H reminds users that, as with all custom firmware, inexperienced users are advised not to flash their devices as they could unintentionally "brick" them, resulting in a complete loss of functionality.

(fab)