CyanogenMod 9 is available for the Samsung Galaxy SII in the form of a CM9 nightly build. If you remember, there was recently a leaked version of the official Ice Cream Sandwich build available but if your interested in the CM9 version you can now get that as well.

CyanogenMod 9 is the fully custom Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM by CyanogenMod that is by far the most popular Android ROM development team there is. CM9 for the Samsung Galaxy S II is the complete Ice Cream Sandwich experience without TouchWiz getting in the way.

To download the CyanogenMod 9 Nightly build for the Samsung Galaxy S II follow the source link below. If you try it out let us know what you think and if you notice any issues.

Source: CyanogenMod

The Epic 4G was left out when CyanogenMod 7 was pushing out stable releases for devices but is now supported with CM9 Alpha 0. CyanogenMod 9 is the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM developed by the most popular ROM developer for Android there is. This ROM also allows those using the Samsung Epic 4G to have a system that doesn’t have to deal with TouchWiz at all.

What doesn’t work on the Samsung Epic 4G CM9 Build:

• 4G wimax toggle missing from curtain (Waiting for upstream changes), use 4G toggle widget for now.
• Camera crashes when you change picture size.
• Video recording sometimes shows artifacts.
• Manual dialing causes Contacts to get stuck. Force kill it once and it seems to work after.
• Scrolling is broken in CWM v.5.5.0.4, so if you have too many folders/files you wont see which file is selected past the bottom of the screen. Until this is fixed, you might find it easier to create a folder named /sdcard/000FLASH and put stuff you want to flash in there.

If you don’t mind what isn’t working being on the build then head on over to CyanogenMod and download the current stable ROM for the Epic 4G. None of the broken pieces above really effect normal phone functionality so go ahead and give it a shot. As always let us know if you install it and what you think about it.

Motorola has promised that they would be releasing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates to many of their devices and the Droid RAZR is one of them. There is no ETA from Motorola or Verizon on the official OTA (over the air update) although as you can see above the update is pretty sweet. Since there has been no ETA on the update to the RAZR we have see developers take on the challenge and create their own update to the device in the form of a custom ROM. The version see above is not publicly available yet but at least we can see the progress and know there will be a release in the near future.

You can now flash the bootstrap ClockworkMod Recovery package on the Motorola Photon 4G. You of course have to have your Photon rooted (if you need to root it still you can go to this article). Along with root access you will need an AC adapter with the USB charging cable.

Photon 4G ClockworkMod Recovery Installation Instructions:

1. Download the recovery file (Download Link)
2. Connect your Photon to the computer via USB
3. Put the .apk you downloaded on your phone
4. Unplug your phone from the computer
5. find and install “Bootstrap_signed.apk” (the file you just put on the phone)
6. After install is done run the application
7. Click “Install Recovery”
8. Accept the Superuser request
9. After completed, plug your Photon 4G into the wall to charge
10. Verify that your phone is charging from the wall
11. Press “Recovery Boot”
12. Your device will now reboot into CWM Recovery (be patient it is slow)

Source: http://briefmobile.com/motorola-photon-4g-root-custom-recovery-now-available

PRESS RELEASE

Android has quickly become the most used mobile operating system for not only phones but tablets as well. With Android users increasing rapidly, online resources for these devices are also increasing. When looking for information on a new phone that your interested in or trying to find a way to modify the one you already have, consider the following:

Information on New Android Devices
There are over 500,000 Android Devices activated every day and only a few great resources on the devices available outside of the biased reviews from carriers and manufacturers. When looking for the perfect Android phone for your needs (and wants) its important to look at an unbiased review.

Rooting your Android Device
Once you have the new device that you feel is the latest and greatest (after looking around for days i’m sure) its time to unlock all of the features your new device is capable of. Rooting your phone while slightly dangerous (depending on the method) is worth every worry along the way. Some of the reasons you will want to root would be installing custom ROM’s like CyanogenMod or Tethering without paying a carrier for the plan using an app like Barnacle and for some users (AT&T users i’m talking to you) its as simple as being able to install apps from sources other than the Google Android Market.

Currently while we have only been around a few months now we have all kinds of instructions on rooting and modifying your Android Devices. This site does not stray from Android Devices much but also includes news and information on Android Carriers and Device Manufacturers.

Your Phone must be rooted with Clockworkmod in order for the ROM installation to work Properly.  Please be sure to follow the directions completely to avoid any issues.

Cognition S2 Installation Instructions:
I recommend backing up all off your apps and settings using Titanium Backup.  You can get the app from this article on android advice.

1. Download the cognition s2 file (download link)
2. Place the zip file on your phones internal sd card (do not rename it)
3. Reboot into Clockwork mod Recovery
4. Select Install zip from SD Card
5. Select Browse for zip on SD Card
6. Select the zip file you placed on your SD Card earlier
7. Wait for the ROM to Flash
8. Enjoy Cognition S2!

Features of the Cognition S2 ROM:

• Flashable via ClockworkMod Recovery
• /sbin cleanup on boot, and data permissions to fix bootloops and other wacky stuff
• overclockable to 1.5ghz (defaults to 1.2ghz on boot, oc with setcpu)
• clockworkmod recovery 4.0.0.5
• init.d support
• based on XWKE7 (will only base on proper Kies Release)
• rooted / deodexed
• sip wifi/3g
• accurate battery mod
• extended power options (no header)
• extended notification bar toggles
• disable battery full notification/vibration
• ad blocking via hosts file
• tun support
• htc headset support
• no ascending ringtone
• tv animation (disables smooth brightness changes)
• aosp wifi/signal icons
• stay awake dev option
• default install location option
• twlauncher defaults to page 4
• custom launcher layout and wallpaper
• enabled hidden wallpapers
• added Google Talk w/AV
• removed bootup sounds
• removed lots of bloatware (let me know about missing features)
• allow calendar week to start on any day
• updated system apps
• hacked camera (by Potatoman, silent edition)
• fixed deodexed browser (by LitePro)

While we are huge fans of CyanagenMod we have to give Cognition its due respect.  We have tested and confirmed that this ROM works and has very few bugs.  Please let us know what you think so that we may improve on articles like this in the future.  We would like to give a special thanks to designgears over at XDA for this ROM, the one who actually created the magic that is Cognition.

Even though the Droid X has a locked Bootloader, CyanagenMod7 can be ran on it.  This does cause you to be restricted to Motorola’s kernels but still works just the same. @cvpcs states:

Note: this was done using my recently new-found-knowledge of 2nd-init, which I will describe later in a blog post (don’t want to get into it here). This still runs on top of the original motorola kernel though. I repeat, the bootloader is still locked, and you are still forced into using moto’s kernels, but that doesn’t really prevent us from doing all that much.

Currently there will be a lot of bugs but for those of you interested in testing they will be looking for beta testers in the next week or so.

Right now what works is the radio, WiFi, USB, charging, sensors, lights, vibration and bluetooth.

What doesn’t work or is untested is the GPS, 3G/Data, camera, camcorder, bluetooth and all audio.

We look forward to seeing the progress on this project and will keep you informed as updates are brought to our attention.

Motorola Xoom Custom ROM

After a long wait the first custom ROM for the Motorola Xoom has been released. The ROM was created by XDA forum member bigrushdog.  Based on the stock 3.1 Verizon 3G image, the rom adds many new features for Xoom owners who want extra features and functions from your device.

Some of the Motorola Xoom ROM features include:

• Tiamat 1.4.4 stock GPU
• Root access with SU and superuser
• Desktop UA string
• Gingerbread style CRT Screen Off Animation
• Call setting with SIP and SMS capabilities enabled
• Supercircle 100 point battery mod
• Wifi Ad-Hoc mod enabled
• USB Mass Storage Enabled
• Quickboot
• Estrongs File Explorer
• Modified Flash (to work with Hulu)

This is of course the first of many we foresee although with this set of features we can assume that building on this one will be a popular choice for Xoom owners.  For those of you outside of the US, this is accepted gratefully due to the lack of the 3.1 update at this point.

Install Instructions for the Motorola Xoom ROM can be found at:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=14567558

We would like to start by saying that we are advocates of custom ROM’s.  We always install custom ROM’s on our devices and probably always will just for the fact that it improves the battery life and keeps the phone up to date.

This being said there are things that may deter some people from using custom ROM’s.  Since there are risks we would like to make you aware of what these are.

Why not to install an Custom ROM on your Android Device:

• Something could go wrong – since you have to flash the custom ROM’s to your device (installation process) there is always a risk of Bricking your phone.  This rarely happens and is usually due to a user being impatient during the flashing process.
• Data Loss – when you install a custom ROM it will generally wipe your entire device and you will lose any information that is not backed up off the device.  There are many options for backing up your device to remove this downside.
• Chances of bugs – while stock ROM’s can and usually do have bugs you are relying on third party developers to fix them and cannot simply complain to your phone company.  Bugs are usually fixed quickly but can still occur just the same.
• Voided Warranty – since some phones don’t have a backup of the stock ROM your phone company and/or manufacturer may not help you in the event something goes wrong.

This article is of course just here so that everyone is aware of the risks involved although as stated before we recommend the custom ROM’s

We will start by explaining what a custom ROM is then why they are so useful.

• A stock ROM is the Android Version that has been created by the phone manufacturer and carrier that comes on your phone when you buy it.
• A custom ROM is its own standalone version of the Android OS including the kernel (the brain makes it all work) with apps, services and everything else needed to operate the device.  The difference here is it usually has someones preferences and features not included in the stock ROM.

Why should you use a Custom ROM?

• Updated more often – custom ROM’s are usually updated with bug fixes and new features all the time.  This is mostly because the dev that creates the ROM has no restrictions like the manufacturers and carriers do.  Other people use these ROM’s and test them regularly reporting issues within the developer community allowing real-time fixes and updating.
• Better Performance – almost all custom ROM’s are faster and more efficient using less memory because carrier apps and other additions are ripped out.  Developers also generally optimize the kernel to provide much better battery life than a stock ROM.
• Keeping Android Version Up to Date – you can easily upgrade to the current Android OS even if your carrier doesn’t plan on it.  Leaked ROM’s are found for almost every device and ROM’s from other phones are sometimes ported over to your device.

We always use custom ROM’s if only for the fact that we can always keep up to date on Android OS and improve the battery life of our devices.  We recommend that any user that has the option to unlock or already has an unlocked bootloader install custom ROM’s to improve their device.

Also not mentioned above most custom ROM’s allow you to install apps to the SD card which is not available in stock ROM’s.