14 DAY TRIAL // Owners of the Xperia Z1 smartphone interested in getting a taste of the Android 4.4 KitKat platform version before it is being officially delivered to them can now do so, courtesy of a CyanogenMod ROM specifically designed for them.
The build comes from the FreeXperia Project team and is still under development, but it should prove a great option to get an early taste of the enhancements included in KitKat, that’s for sure.
For those out of the loop, we should note that the people behind FreeXperia Project are working together with CyanogenMod for the porting of their software to Sony Mobile’s devices, and that they have been doing so for quite some time now.
This means that users interested in downloading and installing their ROMs should be enjoying pretty safe software, despite the fact that they are not official releases.
However, owners of an Xperia Z1 (and any other Xperia device, for that matter) should keep in mind that the installation process of these ROMs requires rooting the smartphone and unlocking its bootloader.
While Sony does support such actions, its warranty won’t cover unlocked devices, and users will make the move at their own risk.
In fact, they will be the only ones to be held responsible in the event that anything happens with the device while installing custom, unofficial ROMs on it.
If there are users who would rather take the risk and go for the new CyanogenMod 11 ROM for their Xperia Z1 smartphone, the XDA-Developers forum is the place to go for a download link.
They should keep in mind that installing the CM11 ROM will wipe out all of the data on the device. Backing up personal files before proceeding is a great idea.
The build can be installed from recovery after rooting the smartphone and unlocking its bootloader. On devices that already run under CM ROMs, users will only need to flash the new software via recovery.