Cyanogen is now part of Android history making it in Wikipedia.

“There exists a thriving community of open-source enthusiasts that build and share android-based firmware with a number of customizations and additional features, such as FLAC Lossless audio support and the ability to store downloaded apps on the microSD card.

Those firmware packages are updated frequently, incorporate elements of Android functionality that haven’t yet been officially released within a carrier-sanctioned firmware, and tend not to have arbitrary limitations. CyanogenMod is one such firmware.

On the 24 September 2009 Google issued a cease and desist letter on the modder Cyanogen, citing issues with the re-distribution of Google’s closed source applications within the custom firmware. Even though Android OS is open source, phones come packaged with closed-source Google applications for functionality such as the application store and GPS navigation. Google has asserted that these apps can only be provided through approved distribution channels by licensed distributors. Cyanogen is complying with Google’s wishes and will continue to distribute his mod with alternative, open-source applications. He will provide a method to install Google applications for those who own them.”

Wikipedia Article

This brief tutorial will guide you through upgrading CyanogenMod 4.1.99 to 4.1.999 on your Android G1 phone.

Fortunately, the process to go from 4.1.99 to 4.1.999 is much, much easier than updating to 4.1.99 itself. For a full list of all the changes in v4.1.999 see the changelog. One of the bigger changes is that bluetooth is now 100% working. Please note: the steps outlined in this tutorial require that your G1 is currently running 4.1.99. You cannot use the method outlined below to go from any version other than 4.1.99 to 4.1.999. If you need help installing 4.1.99, please see this tutorial.

1. Start out by downloading CyanogenMod 4.1.999 here (or from this mirror).
2. Copy the .zip file to your G1’s SD card.
3. Boot into Recovery Mode by powering off your phone, and then powering it back on while holding down the Home button.
4. When the Android system recovery screen loads, scroll to nandroid v2.2 backup and select it by clicking your trackball.



5. Before applying any upgrade, it’s a good idea to perform a backup with nandroid. The process only takes a couple of minutes.



6. Once the backup has completed, scroll to apply any zip from sd and select it by clicking your trackball.



7. Select the update-cm-4.1.999-signed.zip file on your SD card. Make sure to select the one ending in .999 if you still have version .99 on your card.



8. Click the file with your trackball. You’ll be prompted to confirm this action by clicking the Home button on your phone. Do so now.



9. CyanogenMod 4.1.999 will now install.



10. Once the installation has completed you’ll see the message Install from sdcard complete on the Android system recovery screen. Now scroll to reboot system now and click it with your trackball.



11. Your phone will now reboot. Don’t be at all surprised or alarmed if your phone takes longer to start up. Both the mobile providers boot screen (in my case T-Mobile) and the Android boot screen (pictured below) may be displayed for longer than usual. Again, this is normal.



12. One of the minor smaller changes in 4.1.999 is the inclusion of some new wallpaper. In case you missed the link at the beginning of this tutorial, see the see the changelog for a full list of new features and fixes.

By Ross McKillop

[via Simple Help]

This tutorial will take you every step of the way through installing CyanogenMod 4.1.99 on your G1 phone – the first “legal” version of CyanogenMod (after Google sent cyanogen a cease and desist).

The steps outlined in this tutorial were gathered from the official announcement of 4.1.99 on the xda-developers forum. For more information on 4.1.99, see this thread.

Warning: though unlikely, it probably technically possible that following the steps outlined in this tutorial may result in your phone no longer working. Not following these steps in the right order, would increase those chances. With all of that said, it’s very unlikely that anything bad will happen.

See the link at the end of this tutorial, once you’ve completed it, to upgrade to CyanogenMod 4.1.999.

1. Start out by making sure that you have Cyanogen Recovery 1.4 installed on your G1. If you do not, follow steps 6-20 in this tutorial.
2. Download the file signed-dream_devphone_userdebug-ota-14721.zip (the Recovery image, not the Radio or System image) from the Android Developer Center. Then download the file update-cm-4.1.99-signed.zip (mirror). Copy both files to your Android’s SD card. Note: I copied them to my phone in OS X (as illustrated below) – you can use Windows or an Android FTP client – it doesn’t matter. As long as they’re copied to the root of your SD card, you’ll be fine.



3. Now power off your phone. Hold down the Home button when powering it back on, so that you enter recovery mode. Select nandroid v2.2 backup and click your trackball.



4. This will perform a backup, just in case it’s needed.



5. Once the backup has completed, select apple any zip from sd and click the trackball.



6. Select signed-dream_devphone_us… and again, click the trackball.



7. You’ll be notified that you’re going to install a new image. Click the Home button on your device to confirm this action.



8. The new image will now install.



9. Once the installation process has completed, you’ll be taken back to the recovery screen. DO NOT reboot your device at this point. Instead, once again select apply any zip from sd.



10. This time, select update-cm-4.1.99-signed and click the trackball.



11. As with the previous image installation, click the Home button on your phone to confirm.



12. This will install CyanogenMod 4.1.99 on your phone.
13. Once that installation has finished, you’ll be presented with the recovery mode screen, again. This time, select go to console.



14. Click the enter key on your keyboard



15. You should now be presented with a command prompt. At the prompt, enter fix_permissions and click the enter key on your keyboard.



16. A bunch of text will fly by. You might notice that some of the text says No such file or directory. This is normal, depending on how your phone was previously set up.



17. Once you’re back at a prompt (the text has stopped scrolling) – type the word reboot and click the enter key on your keyboard. Your phone will now restart.
18. Your providers ‘boot’ screen (in my case T-Mobile) might be displayed for slightly longer than normal. Don’t worry. Eventually the CyanogenMod Android logo will appear – and it too may be displayed for longer than normal. Again, don’t worry.



19. Once your phone finishes starting up, select Settings from your Applications, and then About phone from the Settings list. In the Mod version section it should say CyanogenMod-4.1.99. That confirms that you’ve successfully installed CyanogenMod 4.1.99. Congratulations! You now have a completely legal modded G1.



20. Launch some of the apps on your device. Confirm that the proprietary programs like Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps etc all work. If you experience any issues, try asking for help on this thread at the xda-developers forum. Be sure to include as much and as specific information as possible in order to receive a timely reply.
21. Once you’ve finished upgrading to 4.1.99, you can upgrade to version 4.1.999 by following this tutorial. The process is much faster (fewer steps) – but again, you must have completed the steps in this tutorial first.

By Ross McKillop

[via Simple Help]

CyanogenMod, one of the best and most popular custom Android ROMs available, just got hit with a cease & desist letter from Google. Gasp. Apparently, Google is not happy that CyanogenMod is distributing closed source Android applications like Gmail, Android Market, YouTube, etc.

Could this be Google reacting to Android Market 1.6 being available on CyanogenMod? Or could this be Google acting ‘evil’ and showing their disapproval towards the rooting process and loading of custom ROM? This definitely makes for some great food for thought.

CyanogenMod explains that he’s not breaking any copyright issues because he develops specifically for Google Experience devices (G1 & myTouch 3G), devices that already include said closed source applications. CyanogenMod is trying to initiate conversation with Google, so hopefully they both can come to an agreement.

But hey Google, CyanogenMod is too valuable to the Android community, he’s one of the good guys. Trust us, let this one slide.

What do you guys think?

[via Android Central]

UPDATE: Google Responds To Cyanogen Uproar