Hey Baltimore.
Are you fed up with your old, slow, buggy Android phone or tablet, but money is too tight to upgrade? Maybe you just want the freshest version of Android and are tired of waiting for your cell phone company to send an upgrade your way. Heck, maybe you just want your phone to be free of that annoying carrier software that you can’t uninstall. Let Poindexter breath new life into your Android phone with a custom rom.
What’s a Custom Rom?
In a nutshell, your phone is a tiny computer. And, like any computer, it needs an operating system to make all those circuits and whatnot into a thing you can actually use. For some computers, your operating system might be Microsoft Windows, for others it might be Apple’s OSX. Mobile phones tend to be divided between iOS (another Apple gig) and Google’s Android. If you don’t have an iPhone, you probably have an Android.
Android comes in a few different flavors. Instead of using only numbers to mark upgrades improvements, Google uses adorable food stuffs. Once upon a time, we had Android Jelly Bean, Gingerbread, and Kit Kat (gimme a break!). The most recent two versions of Android are Lollipop (technically Android v5.0) and Marshmallow (v6.0). Each of these versions of Android are also called ROMs.
A custom ROM, then, is a version of Android that has been modified. Sometimes, it’s to fix bugs that Google hasn’t caught yet. Other times, it’s to get the newest version of Android to work correctly on unsupported phones or tablets. Verizon would prefer that you sign up for a new contract to get a new phone with the newest Android, but we know better. Depending on your model of phone, a custom ROM might unlock months or even years of extra use, without any real compromises.
A worthwhile ROM might improve your battery life and performance, add new features like Ad blocking, improve stability, close some security holes, and give you extra control over your Android device.
Okay, so what do you recommend?
Over the years Poindexter has tested countless ROMs on all sorts of devices, but we keep coming back to one: CyanogenMod. Unlike most custom ROMs, Cyanogenmod isn’t developed by the freelance community. CyanogenMod is an actual company with full time staff working towards improving the Android experience. They’ve long put a premium on security and user privacy settings and don’t skimp on performance improvements and awesome features. If you’ve ever used your phone and thought to yourself, “Gosh, I really like Android, but it would be awesome if my phone could also do ________,” then there’s a good chance CyanogenMod is for you.
Why upgrade with CyanogenMod?
CyanogenMod is one of the best ways to get the newest version of Android onto older Android devices, like a Samsung Galaxy SIII, HTC One m7, or an old Nexus. As of this writing, the company is preparing to launch their updated version of Android Marshmallow, dubbed CyanogenMod13. The most recent stable version of CyanogenMod is 12.1 – and lucky for you, they support tons of devices, new and old.
CyanogenMod 12.1 includes more granular control of your privacy settings, vastly improved battery management and per app battery profiles. Glide through apps using their new launcher, Trebuchet. Enjoy no bloat software, root permissions baked in, system-wide theming (yay Christmas themes), a music equalizer (better sound on headphones), new lock screen, adaptive display options, and much much more.
Android with CyanogenMod sounds great. How do I upgrade?
That’s the easiest part! Call Poindexter, Baltimore’s best computer repair & tech handy man. Cheaper than a new phone and just as exciting, Poindexter can take care of the technical messiness of installing CyanogenMod for you. All of the awesome improvements, none of the worry.
The steps to upgrade your phone to CyanogenMod or any other custom ROM varies by manufacturer. Some devices, like Google’s Nexus line, are very simple. Others decidedly less so. Be mindful that installing customized, unofficial software, although safe and amply tested, may nonetheless void your phone’s warranty. The risk of causing damage is very, very low, but cellular carriers don’t want you to have great features like ad blocking and free hot-spot service, so they do everything they can to block it. They also don’t want you to remove their awful, performance hindering bloat software (looking at you Verizon!)
Lucky for you, there’s Poindexter to help. For our small, flat service fee, we’ll safely upgrade your phone to the most recent stable version of CyanogenMod, then sit down with you and showcase your phone’s new features. We promise, you’ll fall in love with your phone or tablet all over again. Skip this year’s new phone or tablet and call Poindexter.
