14 DAY TRIAL // CyanogenMod, one of the most popular names when it comes to custom Android ROMs out there, will soon have its own-branded smartphone on shelves, just as previous reports on the matter suggested.
However, the device won’t come from OPPO, as speculated, but will be built in collaboration with a new company that is expected to be founded by Pete Lau, who served as OPPO’s VP until this week.
The final details of the deal are not official as of now, but recent reports, corroborated with Google+ posts from Pete Lau and Steve Kondik, the founder of CyanogenMod, appear to be pointing exactly in this direction.
Speculation on possible plans for the building of a CM handset has emerged a while ago, but confirmation arrived only last week, from Kondik.
“[We] meet with +Pete Lau in Shenzhen and we began discussing our vision for a phone that would fuse truly amazing software with the highest quality hardware available. Together, we’re setting out to create that product,” he said.
At the time, Lau noted on Sina Weibo that they were “plotting on something that may change the world of Android,” a recent article on Engadget explains. Yesterday, he announced on Google+ his departure from OPPO.
Soon after, reports on the matter suggested that the device would be powered by a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 MSM8974AC processor, though no official confirmation has been provided for the time being.
However, following Lau’s departure from OPPO, it all appears to make much sense, although people dreaming of having a “pure” CyanogenMod smartphone coming from OPPO will be a bit disappointed.
Pete Lau is expected to build his own company, and the aforementioned device will come from here. However, as Engadget notes, we might be looking at a spinoff rather than a fully independent entity, the same as OPPO was when it came out as a subsidiary of BBK Electronics.
Of course, both Lau and CyanogenMod have yet to offer any specifics on their plans for the future, though chances are that things will turn out as speculated.
One way or the other, enthusiasts are certainly in for a treat when the handset lands, though no estimated release date has been provided as of now. Keep an eye on this space for more on the matter.