CyanogenMod 10.2 will change the custom Android landscape

A bold sweeping statement, I know, but hear me out. CyanogenMod is the default choice for the majority of individuals who want to run custom software on their Android devices. It has become the go-to simply because of the sheer size of the beast. Its list of supported devices is amazing, the team working on the ROM is massive and last I checked there had been 7-million installations. That, by any stretch of any imagination, is quite a lot in the custom, heck, in any world.

It was while Gingerbread was the “latest and greatest” version of Android when some of CyanogenMod’s features started making their way into stock Android. Think of the swiping away of notifications, yup, CyanogenMod did it first and upon the release of the next iteration of Android, it was baked in.

Last week I told you about Koush, and all the amazing things he has done for the Android world, and he recently dropped another bit of gold which really makes installing CyanogenMod 10.2 (when it is released, officially) incredibly appealing.

Chromecast, the CyanogenMod way

In a nutshell, Koush has integrated the Chromecast setting into the CyanogenMod source code, meaning it will be available across your entire system. Yes, you will be able to play locally stored files via your phone, on your television. If your phone or device running CyanogenMod can play it, it will also be able to cast it. Many have pointed this out as the biggest flaw with Google’s US$35 HDMI “dongle”, and I can’t explain how excited I am that the custom Android “scene” is once again leading the way.

The way the casting feature will work couldn’t be simpler. Start watching or listening to video or audio on your device, swipe down your notification shade and you’ll notice a “Play on Chromecast” notification. Simply select it, and voila, you’re casting. The best part of this is that developers won’t need to update their apps with the Chromecast API for this to work. I would also assume that the functionality Koush included in the previously demonstrated cloud and local storage playback options will also be included.

Judging from the video, it seems so easy and effortless that it does leave me a little baffled as to why the functionality wouldn’t be baked into the Android source right from the start, but as with most things Android, there’s a dev for that.

At the moment I’m running a stock build, because the latest branch in the AOSP for the Nexus 4 has a really annoying freezing derp, but you can rest assured that as soon as CyanogenMod 10.2 officially drops, I’ll be all over it. Hopefully I’ll have a Chromecast by then, so I can test all of this wonderful functionality out for myself.

Koush and the CyanogenMod team are really making CyanogenMod a very viable option for those brave enough to venture into the custom world. I for one, can’t wait for the latest iteration of Android’s biggest aftermarket firmware distribution, because anything that makes my Nexus 4 more powerful is worth a try.

Image via Flickr by TrophyGeek