CyanogenMod 7.0—Gingerbread in the House

In order to run the latest version of Android, users normally have to be using the “flagship” Google handset. Unfortunately, that often requires using a different cell-phone provider, and it limits purchasing options significantly. In fact, it limits options to a specific handful of devices like the Nexus One and Nexus S. Because the Nexus devices don't have a slider keyboard and come on the T-Mobile network, they're not a viable option for me.

Enter CyanogenMod.

For users comfortable with rooting their phones, CyanogenMod offers many, many more features than the stock ROMs available for supported handsets. I have an original Motorola Droid from Verizon, and if I stick with the stock ROM, I will be stuck with Android 2.2. The current version of CyanogenMod, version 7, includes the Android 2.3 operating system. Code-named “Gingerbread”, Android 2.3 includes all the latest bells and whistles from Google that normally would be available only on the Nexus S. Thanks to the CyanogenMod team, we can have those features now—features like:

Although the new 2.3 features are great, the real beauty behind CyanogenMod is the customization options. Some of the same functionality can be added to the stock ROM for your phone by adding a replacement launcher, but CyanogenMod includes most of the bells and whistles by default. Some of the more exciting features include:

CyanogenMod is so customizable, it's often frustrating to show off, because it can look so drastically different from install to install. To answer the question, “What does CyanogenMod 7 look like?”, the best answer is truly, “However you want it to look!”

Figure 1. This is the default home screen in CyanogenMod 7. The background is my own, from NASA's Astronomy Pic of the Day Web site.

Figure 2. The lock screen is extremely customizable, and it can be themed to look like SenseUI, Honeycomb or completely custom with added functionality.

Figure 3. CyanogenMod has so many customizable options, it's easy to become overwhelmed. Thankfully, the default is beautiful.

Figure 4. The pull-down menu has power modification tools available. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and so on can be toggled quickly to save battery life.

Figure 5. With a few simple tweaks, the CyanogenMod home screen has a new theme, tightly packed icons, removed labels and more. If the included themes aren't to your liking, more are available on-line.

If you want to have the latest version of Android on your phone, but you don't want to wait for the cell-phone provider to release an update, or if you have an older handset (like my original Droid) that likely never will see an update beyond Android 2.2, CyanogenMod is the tool for you. Most phones are supported after rooting, and even older phones perform well with Android 2.3, especially if you overclock them. For more details or to download the latest version of CyanogenMod, check out www.cyanogenmod.com. The easiest way to install it on your rooted phone is with ROM Manager, however. It's a simple download from the Marketplace, and the free version includes support for the stable version of CyanogenMod.