We’ve been hard at work on CM9 since Google released Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) into the wild last month, and things are slowly starting to come together. Google did a great job with ICS and added some really awesome features which in some cases replace or deprecate functionality that we had in CM7, so we are reevaluating all of our customizations. A number of devices are already up and running with CM9, and the focus is currently on getting as many devices ready as we can. The first devices (besides the Nexus S, which you can already get from Koush’s section on ROM Manager) that we’ll have ready will mostly likely be devices based on OMAP4, MSM8660/7X30, and Exynos. We also have some Tegra2 tablets in the pipeline such as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Asus Transformer. Our goal is to provide continued support to all CM7 devices back to the QSD8250 series of devices such as the Nexus One. I don’t want to make any promises at this time, but that is the plan. And sorry Droid1 owners, we’re dropping support for you. Time to upgrade

There are a number of challenges that we are up against. Google has made some pretty major changes to the Android framework that break compatibility with older proprietary camera and graphics drivers in order to achieve some pretty insane performance, but I am confident that the team will be able to overcome these issues like we have in the past.

For those of you who like to build CM from source yourself, you probably know that the spin-up time when starting a CM7 build is absurdly long due to the high number of devices in our repository. Koush and Arcee have put together a solution to this problem that adds new devices on-demand to your local repository, saving on both bandwidth and the long startup time. Some other great enhancements are coming too, like a completely overhauled music app, a new file manager, and a new launcher based on stock 4.0.

If you have a Nexus S, you can check out the code and build for yourself today. More devices are on the way, and I’ll send out these status updates as we make more progress.

It’s been far too long since our last official release, but I’m happy to present CyanogenMod-7.1! I apologize for the long delay, and I hope to speed up our release process in the future. We originally planned to release this last weekend at the Big Android BBQ but some issues with our automated build system held it back.

You’ll find many new features (read the CHANGELOG) and support for building on 68 devices! Upgrading from any previous CM-7 release or nightly build should be smooth and no wipe should be required.

New devices since 7.0 included in today’s release are:

• HTC Desire S
• HTC Incredible S
• HTC Incredible 2
• LG Optimus 2X and T-Mobile G2x
• Motorola Backflip (Motus)
• Motorola Cliq / Cliq XT
• Motorola Defy
• Motorola Droid 2
• Motorola Droid X
• Samsung Captivate
• Samsung Fascinate
• Samsung Mesmerize
• Samsung Showcase
• Samsung Vibrant
• Samsung Galaxy S
• Samsung Galaxy S2 (multiple carriers)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X8
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
• ZTE V9

There are many devices still in beta status (Pyramid, Doubleshot, Shooter, HP Touchpad, Optimus 3D, several more) that we will be promoting to release or release-candidates in the next few weeks when the code is merged to our main branch.

The preferred method of installation is via ROM Manager, but you can directly download the latest release from our mirror network. Head over to our forums to discuss the release or get help. Installation instructions and other information can be found on our wiki.

As we continue to grow and improve CM, we are starting to see support from the industry grow- something that was unheard of previously. Recently, Sony Ericsson assisted our developers by providing over 20 devices, technical assistance, and compatible hardware drivers. CM-7.1 now has support for all recent SEMC devices thanks to this effort. Various other vendors have reached out to us, but we understand that it is still somewhat of a difficult situation. We will soon be providing a porting guide and some information on how vendors can get involved with the project and how/why it will benefit them.

Thanks again for the support, and for making CyanogenMod the #1 community Android distribution. We’ll be following up with a few minor releases and soon it will be time to start work on CM9!

The first release candidate of CyanogenMod-7.1 is ready for testing!

This version is an update to Android 2.3.4, includes many new features, and brings support to several new devices. We are now supporting various Samsung devices (Galaxy S, Captivate, and Vibrant), the LG Optimus 2X (p990) /T-Mobile G2x (p999), HTC Incredible S (vivo), and Motorola CLIQ/CLIQ XT. A full list of features and changes can be found in the CHANGELOG.

This release candidate should be fairly stable for daily use, but always do a backup first in case something goes wrong. You can help out by giving us feedback on the forums and reporting bugs at the issue tracker.

The best way to install CM7.1-RC1 is to use ROM Manager, or you can manually download it from our mirror network.

Many thanks to EVERYONE (we have over 400K CM7 users!) for your continued support, and everyone who has contributed their time to making CM the best Android distribution available!

We found a few last minute bugs in the 7.0.1 release and decided to pull it. 7.0.2 is now available which should correct those issues. Sorry about the epic fail.

7.0.2 is available from the usual places (see the original announcement).

It’s been about two weeks since we rolled out the first stable version of CyanogenMod-7, and it unfortunately came with a few bugs. 7.0.1 brings many bugfixes, including GPS fixes for many devices, a handful a new features, and support for a few devices that weren’t quite ready in time for 7.0 (original Droid).

As always, the best way to install CM is to use ROM Manager. If you are running the current stable release, you should get a notification when a build is ready for your device. You can also manually download from our mirror network (powered by TD Revolution”), or head over to our forums.

Check out the latest CHANGELOG for a quick summary of everything included in this release.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support and contributions!

EDIT: Sorry guys, we made a mistake and there are issues with 7.0.1. 7.0.2 will be up shortly.

After over 4 months of work, many sleepless nights, and contributions from people all around the world, I am proud to release CyanogenMod 7.0 into the wild!

CM7 is based on the 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) release of Android from Google. We’ve added most of the great features from CM6 you know and love, and many new ones including support for several tablets. We are currently providing support for 30 devices! I continue to be amazed with this community and the dedication of everyone involved. It’s a neverending work-in-progress so if you find a problem, please let us know on our issue tracker. There are a few CM6 features that aren’t part of CM7 yet, but they are in the queue for 7.1 already.

The best way to install CM7 is to use ROM Manager. Detailed instructions for rooting your device can be found at our wiki. Manual downloads can be obtained from our mirror network (powered by TDRevolution). If you need help or support, head over to our forums where you’ll find thousands of other CM users, or you can join us in #cyanogenmod on irc.freenode.net.

If you are upgrading from CM6, we recommend performing a backup with something like Titanium Backup and doing a full wipe before installing CM7.

Check out the CHANGELOG to see a full list of credits and features, and please consider clicking the “donate” link below if you like our work.

Unleash your phone today with CyanogenMod 7!