Gingerbread-based CyanogenMod 7.0 updated

Just two weeks after version 7.0 arrived, the CyanogenMod project developers have announced the release of the first maintenance update to version 7.0 of their modified Android firmware. According to a post on the CyanogenMod blog, this update to the project's latest major release introduces a "handful of new features", corrects a variety of bugs and adds support for several devices "that weren’t quite ready in time for 7.0", such as the Motorola Droid.

Changes include the addition of new community wallpapers, an option to disable vibration while in-call, a long press option for status bar widgets, and compact carrier and status bar tweaks. Problems related to, for example, Google Voice and DNS resolution have also been corrected. However, shortly after releasing 7.0.1, the developers issued a further update, version 7.0.2, to address "a few last minute bugs". These included problems that would cause the built-in themes to go missing, as well as bugs relating to the proximity and light sensor, and GPS on the HTC EVO 4G (Supersonic).

CyanogenMod 7.0.x (CM7) is based on the source code for Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" and features a number of changes, including a brand new boot animation, improvements to the status bar and notification icons, and updates to the CyanogenMod settings with options that allow, for example, users to move all of their applications to external storage (e.g. MicroSD) or adjust device performance by over-clocking the CPU.

Details about the updates, including a full list of changes and new features, can be found in the change log. Download links for various devices can be found on one of the TDRevolution mirrors and in the CyanogenMod Forums. Installation instructions are provided on the project's wiki. The H reminds users that, as with all custom firmware, inexperienced users are not advised to flash their devices as they could unintentionally brick them resulting in a complete loss of functionality.

The CyanogenMod project offers for a variety of Android phones free community-built custom ROMs that don't include Google's custom closed-source applications, such as GMail, Google Maps and YouTube. The custom ROMs are popular as they are often more up-to-date than the official model-specific Android releases and typically will extend a phones capabilities. To date, nearly 150,000 devices have been registered running the custom firmware.

See also:

• CyanogenMod 7 brings custom Gingerbread, a report from The H.

(crve)