Cyanogen Mod 9 on Galaxy Mni GTS5570 Smartphone - A Review.

If you don't know already, it has just been a month or so since Google released the source code of their latest Android Operating System v4.1.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich). And, while you were busy thinking if your android smartphone could get that (yummy) Ice Cream Sandwich in your device or not many Open Source Community and other developers started porting the OS to other devices. Cyanogen Mod Team also joined the race to port ICS to different devices which it supports currently and started building Cyanogen Mod 9 (aka CM9) from the ground. As a result, Samsung Galaxy Pop/Mini GT-S5570, which was/is also running cyanogen mod 7 rom is also in it's way to get the amazing Ice Cream Sandwich based CM9, thanks to an amazing developer from xda (code) named squadzone.

So, CM9 for galaxy pop/mini is out and is currently on beta1 version. And, those of you who want to give it a try can download it from below and give it a try. In this article I am presenting my short review of Android 4.0.0.3 based Cyanogen Mod 9 rom.Since, I couldn't get to the depth of the rom (due to lack of the time), it wouldn't be surprising if you can't find the depth insight here. However, you will surely get to taste Ice Cream Sandwich a little (if you go through the whole review).

Want to give Cyanogen Mod 9  a try? Please, follow the instructions at the article, 'Flashing Cyanogen Mod 9 on Smasung Galaxy Pop/Mini GTS5570'.

So, I flashed Cyanogen Mod 9 Beta version and thankfully it booted fine. I was so excited about Ice Cream Sandwich and the excitement was reaching it's climax just as my phone booted to the homescreen. Then I started to check out this new custom rom. I explored most parts of the rom in search to see what is working and what is not. And, to my surprise many things still need to be improved before a stable build can be released. Here's an insight of what I found when I glanced inside the rom. Also, here are some screenshots of cyanogen mod 9 rom on my galaxy pop if you want to take a look at CM9 from outside.

• Live Wallpaper isn't working. However, you can set other CM9 wallpapers.
• Gallery isn't working. You can't see anything except black/dark screen. I found a fix to this. To view your albums just press/touch the screen for a while and after few seconds you will see your albums listed. However, as soon as you leave the touchscreen the screen will turn black again.
• Camera isn't working at all. It gives "Cannot Connect to Camera" error. I believe that it is lacking proper drivers since you can't  use camera even with the help of third party apps.
• The Screenshot option in Power Options is not working. It does nothing. However, you can take screenshots with the help of third party apps like Screenshot It which are available in market. Here are some screenshots of CM9 which I took.
• Android Keyboard is not working. It doesn't show up completely so it's difficult to type. But, you with third party apps like (Swype or TouchPal) you can type pretty well.
• You can't set the Time Zone. As soon as you select to choose the time zone it takes you back to Settings windows.
• There's lag while moving between windows (or Activites). However, you can solve it by turning off Windows Animation and Transition Animation in Developer Option in System settings.
• The Auto Rotate option doesn't work all the time. I guess that's a problem with Calibration.
• Mass USB Storage isn't working at all. You can't mount your sd-card to your PC with the help of USB cable. You need to either use card reader or go to recovery mod to mount USB storage.
• The context menu that should appear when long pressing in any text box (Edit text view) no longer exists. I am confused if it is a bug or a feature that is removed from Ice Cream Sandwich. It is a needed feature, so it is really bad if it is removed.
• I am still not able to download apps from market even after flashing the latest gapps for Ice Cream Sandwich from here. It might be only me, but it's another big problem and should be fixed since it is really important to feature.

Overall, CM9 beta release is a good custom rom and I am sure it will be much better once it completes the beta phase. After some tweak and settings my personal settings the rom was a little usable and I can stay with it for some while, however, it's not good for general users. For them these bugs might be irritating and annoying. So, I suggest you wait till we get another release of Cyanogen Mod 9 rom and with the pace the developer is working on it, I am sure it won't be a long wait. Also, if you have thought of giving it a try or have already tried it on your device please post your short review in the comments below. With your help it will be easier for the developer to find and fix bugs and you will get a much stable rom faster. So, if you have found any other bugs (apart from those listed above) then please inform us through the comments below.