CyanogenMod 9 Stable

Some good news for CyanogenMod users this week. Many builds featuring CyanogenMod 9's stable release have begun to be rolling out. As stated by the CyanogenMod team this is probably the last release of new Ice cream sandwich source code. The main reason behind this is because most devices with CyanogenMod 9 on it are fully functional and tend to perform better than stock. The CM team is now shifting its focus entirely to Android 4.1 that is Jelly Bean. Most devices still do not have CyanogenMod 10 ports.

There are many devices out there that are deprived of ICS but still thanks to CyanogenMod devices like the Samsung Galaxy S have also got Jelly Bean ports. There is no doubt that suce devices can easily run ICS and Jelly Bean. CyanogenMod team will now whole heartedly work on Jelly Bean and fix those bugs soon. Do not expect stable CM10 yet, but expect a nice Jelly Bean experience. There are also many unnofficial builds out there rolling out day after day. Good work CyanogenMod!! All the best for CyanogenMod 10.

CyanogenMod 10 to take some more time

Google has already released the source code to AOSP and the world is eagerly awaiting a stable CyanogenMod 10 which is based on Jelly Bean. Since the android 4.1 update of Jelly Bean is not a major update on the android platform, it was thought that stable Jelly Bean roms like CM10 would be available very soon. But the makers of CyanogenMod are facing a few problems which would push the CM10 update.

 CyanogenMod mentioned it earlier this week that the codes need not be written from scratch but they need to be merged manually. This would be a very tedious task but not an impossible one. It looks like its going to take some serious manual coding and developers have to work round the clock. Here are the few major problems CyanogenMod team is facing:

• CyanogenMod's Trebuchet launcher would pose a problem while porting to Jelly Bean.
• Theming on CyanogenMod need to be reworked.
• Different lockscreen of Jelly Bean needs to be restyled.
• Major changes in Interface.

One must not forget that CyanogenMod is also working in the stable RC2 build for CM9, so there is a lot of work the coders need to do.

Google Now for AOSP based ICS ROMS

Certainly on of the best features of the new Jelly Bean operating System is Google Now. It can do a bunch of cool and intelligent things like weather reports on your current location, route and time taken to reach work from your current location and also various modes of transport that can be taken. Not only this, Google Now also comes with a voice assistant much like Siri. However the only difference between Google's voice assistant and Siri is that Google's voice assistant is much faster and a million times more powerful than Apple's Siri. Trust me its not an overstatement. Check out the video for features of Google now.




 Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer febycv and dave7802 , it is now possible to have Google Now on AOSP based ICS ROMS. I have tried it on CM9 and it works pretty smoothly with some issues as listed below.

What works:

• Search with the text box.
• Location services.
• Information cards like weather report.
• Notifications.

What doesn't work:

• Back button to exit app.
• Voice search and assistant (Needs Jelly Bean)

Its worth installing this, just follow these simple steps:

1. Do a Nandroid backup!
2. Download the file from here: http://www.mediafire.com/?ln5g4bub91kgaa4
3.  Rename GoogleQuickSearchBox.apk in system/app to GoogleQuickSearchBox2.bak
4. Rename the downloaded file to "GoogleQuickSearchBox.apk".
5. Place the renamed .apk in the system/app folder and set the permissions to rw-r-r
6. Reboot the device and enjoy!

You can always leave a comment if you have a problem with the installation or any other query.

CM9 Vs Stock ICS

Alot of people wonder before flashing Cyanogen Mod Roms about the new list of features it would bring to their device. Some people shift to Cyanogen Mod 9 after getting fed up of buggy and untimely updates. So I decided to make a post telling you, why you should switch to CM9 and show your stock Rom the door.

Cyanogen Mod 9 is an alternative firmware for a number of devices which is based on the Android Open Source Operating System. It includs various features that are not included in the stock rom. Here are the many Pros and the few Cons of CM9.


Pros :

• Super fast updates and fixes of bugs.
• Theme support.
• Incognito mode aka stealth mode browsing.
• DSP equalizer for better sound performance
• Control CPU speed for better battery (Custom kernel needed).
• Better overall battery life.
• Fast and lite Trebuchet launcher by CM9.
• Open VPN.
• Ability to flash anything on your phone as you are already rooted. Eg: TouchWiz 5, etc.
• Add newer Tweaks that are made by various developers.
• Many more.

Cons: 

• Flashing roms are always risky although to the slightest and you might brick your phone.
• Lose your warranty. (You can always revert back to stock and get it back.)
• Initial phases of development are extremely buggy, especially a non functional camera.

As you can see for your self the cons can be taken care of with a little bit of caution and patience. Obviously you need to root your phone before flashing roms. The best part of CM9 is the updates. They shift to a newer source code at lightening fast speeds.

Final Verdict: Say good bye to your stock rom  and switch to CM9. You can always use your current launcher over Cyanogen Mod's Trebuchet launcher.