If you’ve ever rooted your Android phone, there’s a better than average chance you know about CyanogenMod. It’s the replacement firmware for your phone that generally runs Android a little better than Android. Also, it’s one of the best reasons to root your phone in the first place, because it gives you more control over what your phone does in simple, easy to understand ways. I’m a pretty big fan of CyanogenMod. So, when I found out that Steve “Cyanogen” Kondick, the guy behind the team that makes the replacement Android firmware, got a job as an engineer with mobile developer Samsung, I was filled with both delight and terror. On the surface, everything looks cool. Kondick has said that his deal with Samsung allows him to keep working on CyanogenMod in a separate capacity, meaning the free Android innovation gets to keep coming. This should also mean that Samsung’s versions of Android phones should be a little bit better. Hopefully.
If you’ve never used CyanogenMod, you’re missing out. I can no longer use my phone unless it has some of Cyanogen’s innovations. The power widget may be the simplest thing ever created, but ye gods is it useful! From any screen or non-full-screen app, you can turn on or off WiFi, alter the screen brightness, change a track in a song, and more. It’s the ultimate multitasking tool. This is something that should be integrated into every Android build, period.
In addition, CyanogenMod generally provides a faster, more configurable platform and gives you the latest Android build months before it ever appears on your phone — if it ever does at all. I’ve been rocking Gingerbread on my Droid for months now, thanks to the guys at CyanogenMod. It’s a good thing that independent developers like Kondick are getting recognized by the big companies as the innovative engineers that they are. It means we’re more likely to see those innovations built into the phones themselves instead of having to violate our phones’ warranties to have access to them. The bad part is two-fold.
Why couldn’t Google have hired Kondick? At least then, we would more likely get CyanogenMod-style goodness on all Android phones, not just Samsung ones. Why must they keep all the non-warranty-violating power widget stuff to themselves, instead of letting the masses benefit?
Kondick has said that Samsung is letting him continue with CyanogenMod, but there’s a little voice in the back of my head that’s afraid the independent modder will go away. Truth is, even if it does, there are others that will replace it. There are already scores of mods out there for phones. So, while the loss of CyanogenMod would be frustrating, that’s about all it would be.
But either way, good luck to Kondick in his new job.
Funny thing is, Cyanogen’s power widget was inspired by Samsung’s TouchWiz in the first place. Kondick’s team did a better job.
Whatever, it’s a thing of genius. Seriously, it may be the single most useful element of Android — or at least the thing that makes all the other elements more useful.