Custom ROMS: The Reason Android is the Number One Mobile OS
Let's face it, we all love options. In fact, as consumers, we all demand options. We hate being told what to do. More importantly, we hate being told what to do after we've paid money for a particular item. In short, if we buy it we want total autonomy over how we use it. Android as a mobile OS fills the consumer demand to have total ownership over a consumer good.
One main reason why Android fills this demand is because of custom ROMS. What is a ROM? Think of it as the software installation that makes your phone work the way it does. ROM is to Android what Windows is to a PC. It determines how your hardware works and what it will do. Because Android is freely distributed by Google, it gives individuals and communities the opportunity to build custom version of Android for their devices. What does this mean? It means that Android has become a mobile OS by the people for the people. Want key evidence of this? Look at the famous ROM known as Cyanogenmod.
Cyanogenmod was one of the original custom Android versions created by an individual. This optimized version of Android includes custom additions not seen in the traditional builds release by carriers. Why is this important? Because it means that users can now use their mobile devices without any restraint imposed by their carriers. Sprint, for instance, charges their subscribers to use the mobile hotspot feature on their devices. If an individual runs Cyanogenmod however, that feature is automatically enabled. In other words using a custom ROM guarantees more freedom of use.
Apart from freedom, there is another benefit to using a custom ROM:constant updates. Frankly, these developers take pride in their work. Consequently, they are always tweaking and updating their ROMS. Cyanogenmod, now in its seventh iteration, runs gingerbread. This update is well in advance of any formal update issued by any cellular carrier.
With the freedom and constant updates provided by custom ROMS, its small wonder that Android is now the most popular mobile OS. Frankly, we as consumers demand a lot for the money that we choose to pay. Android and all of the devoted developers fill our needs and wants as consumers, making Android the the toughest OS to beat.
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