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Got root? A fair number of Android users do, and a whole bunch of them are turning to CyangenMod for their third-party ROM fix. CyanogenMod creator Steve "Cyanogen" Kondik revealed in a Twitter message that his custom ROM is being used by more than 1 million active users, a modest number in the grand scheme of things, but plenty impressive when you consider this is unofficial firmware.
CyanogenMod supports a swath of Android devices, 56 officially and potentially many more if you include unofficial releases and nightly builds. Version 7.1.0 is the most popular to date with nearly 240,000 active users, and the most used device by CyanogenMod fans is the HTC Bravo.
CM team member Koushik Dutta, creator of ROM Manager, ClockworkMod Recovery, and DeskSMS, suggested there could be an App Store for rooted devices in the not-too-distant future.
"I've been bouncing this idea around for a while now, and it seems like an even better idea now, given my recent brush with this problem: we need an App Store for root apps. We also need an app store for apps that are getting shut down for no good reason, other than carrier, or some random corporation doesn't like it," Dutta posted on Google+.
Details are still being worked out, but apps would work on all rooted devices, not just ones running CyanogenMod. Portions of sales might also go towards funding the CyanogenMod project, Dutta said.
Comments are closed on this article
Gumby
January 17, 2012 at 2:18am
CM7 on my Motorola Defy turned it into the most perfect phone (for me) that I could imagine. All Motorola users should get rid of Motoblur and use an unofficial ROM. I can reccomend CM7 because it works great for me but the wonderful thing about unofficial ROMs is that you can find one that works great for you. Freedom of choice is a beautiful thing.
graydiggy
January 14, 2012 at 12:49am
CM7 is a really good ROM. It is powerful, but is too powerful. Its not stable, and murders the battery of every device. I prefer MIUI myself. But I do give major credit to CM7 and the devs.
Gumby
January 17, 2012 at 2:20am
Too powerful?
Are you reading the wrong website?
I think you may be more interested in a site like MacWorld :)
AETAaAS
January 13, 2012 at 10:11am
Can't wait for CM9 to bring ICS... :D No idea how many firmwares I have flashed onto my SGS now... every time, its almost as if I have a completely new phone, with new UIs, tweaks, apps, etc. CM was nice but Darkys and SURFACE were my mainstays.
I'm going to wait before getting onto ICS since the developers are still working on some kinks...
bloodgain
January 13, 2012 at 10:39am
Yeah, I'm eyeing the upcoming Moto Droid 4 or Razr Maxx (dumb name) phones, but I was disappointed to learn they won't ship with ICS. ICS is baked but not quite iced yet, though, and the app support won't catch up for a few months. Since CM or another group will almost certainly bring ICS to those phones before the official upgrades, I'm still considering it.
Motorola/Verizon's locked boot loaders is the one big thing keeping me on the fence. It probably won't matter in the end, but it's still bothersome.
