Customised firmware for your Android device that brings improved performance and reliability
Based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, CyanogenMod is a custom firmware for your Android device that strips the operating system back to its bare bones and then throws some tweaks into the mix. While the basic look of the operating system may not be to everyone’s tastes, you have the opportunity to use freely available themes to adjust appearance if you feel the need. The focus here is optimizing the performance of your Android device and adding features that are missing from the official OS.
If you have been under the impression that your Android device is lacking in the features department, this may be just what you have been waiting for. Your lock screen can be made more useful than ever thanks to support for lock screen gesture that can be used to access a range of handy options.
There’s also support for OpenVPN as well as an interesting Phone Goggles feature. In this mode you can place filters on the calls and messages that can be sent from your phone – you can place blocks based on number, time and numerous other settings. Other highlights include an incognito mode that can be used to protect your browsing activity and a graphic equalizer that can be used to control music playback.
While this is not an installation for the faint of heart, CyanogenMod will be of serious interest to hardcore users. It should be remembered that while this is considered a stable release, there is potential to cause problems with your device. You can check to see whether your particular Android device is supported by paying a visit to the CyanogenMod web site.
Final Verdict: A great way to get the most from your Android device, is extraordinarily powerful, but should be approached with caution.
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