The founder of CyanogenMod has left his position at Samsung Mobile, after 19 months on the job. Steve Kondik, also the lead developer of the Android ROM community's ported offerings, made a number of comments about the Galaxy S4 on his Google+ page, at the same time as updating his employment information.
The website for CyanogenMod transferred from a .com to a .org, following the domain holder's demand for money. The move follows the Android ROM community's discovery that the domain holder had been attempting to make money on the domain and project, which lead to the Cyanogen team receiving a demand for $10,000 in exchange for control of the domain.
Developers have continued to expand the list of devices supported by CyanogenMod, adding several LG devices and Samsung's Epic 4G. The unofficial custom firmware can now be installed on LG's Optimus 3D, Optimus Hub and Optimus Pro, while the Optimus Black has been added back onto the list of supported devices for the CM7 build.
Those on the XDA-Developers forums have brought a rough build of Android 4.0 to the Kindle Fire tablet. The early build is meant to hash out a number of problems and features that still don't work with the help of the community. The About screen shows Android 4.0.3 is onboard, which was placed there with a CyanogenMod 9 root.
Enterprising members of the XDA Developers forum have found a new hack to bring Google Wallet functionality to the original Nexus S smartphone. User Venumx got the credit for the hack, though it was shared by got2best. Officially, Google Wallet only works on the Nexus S 4G smartphone for Sprint.
HP has signalled that its steeply discounted TouchPad sales are imminent through a leaked staff memo just as work has advanced on hacking Android into the tablet. A notice from Personal Systems Group head Stephen DeWitt has told HP workers that they will have "one last chance" to buy the TouchPad, on September 28. The company is expecting shortages and a glut of orders, TechCrunch saw; staff will be limited to one tablet each and may have to wait up to 10 days for shipments due to the "extraordinarily busy" warehouses.
The CyanogenMod crew's plans for an Android port to the HP TouchPad got closer late Sunday after it reported very preliminary success. Partly in an attempt to get more TouchPads for development, the firmware hacking team showed RootzWiki a demo (video below) of both the Android 2.3 lock screen from CyanogenMod 7 and its basic home screen running on the normally webOS-based design. Not even the touchscreen driver is working so far, although 2D graphics acceleration, a tablet-optimized interface and more were already working.
HP's decision to slash the TouchPad to $100 has triggered the biggest rush on webOS devices since the Palm Pre launched two years ago, according to reports. In those US and Canadian stores still selling the TouchPad, several checks by Electronista readers and further investigations on social networks has found many stores already having sold out of their stock. HP's own store already lists it as out of stock, although whether that's permanent or temporary is still unclear.
The CyanogenMod lead developer has just been hired by Samsung Mobile, Gadget University reported, citing his updated Facebook status as evidence. Steve in the comments on the Facebook thread said his new position has nothing to do with CyanogenMod, however. The aftermarket firmware has exceeded 500,000 downloads and gives more than 50 Android devices extra control beyond what Google allows.
Android caught up significantly on Thursday with the addition of Hulu Plus (free, Market). Coming a year after the iOS version, it lets users stream the full Hulu TV and movie catalog over both cellular and Wi-Fi. The service costs the same $8 per month.
A new instance of Android malware was found late Wednesday that attacked those running custom firmware on their phones. The jSMSHider takes advantage of most unofficial ROMs using a publicly listed key from the Android Open Source Project to trick them into loading apps without permission, according to Lookout Internet Security. Infected code carries a hidden arsenal that talks to an outside server and can send or receive SMS messages without permission, install other apps, or load web links in the web browser without informing the user.
Google still hasn't patched a bug in Android that sends text messages to random recipients, users have complained as recently as Friday. The flaw will often take a message intended for one recipient but send it to another person in the contact list, often without letting the sender know until afterwards. Messages will often show as part of a conversation thread for the intended person even when the flaw occurs.
