just installed the new alpha version of cyanogenmod 6 on my gsm htc hero. this is based on froyo 2.2 and considering 2.1 (éclair) hasn’t even been released in europe by htc (officially) then it really is quite amazing. the build and information can be found here.
the cyanogenmod rom has had all the google applications stripped from it so while it will be perfectly functional without them you’ll probably want to grab the .zip (FRF83) from the blog post if you want to sync with your google account and use the market, maps etc.
i performed a full back up of my current rom (modaco v4 r5 using rom manager) and then did a full wipe including the cache.
i used rom manager to select my update rom from a folder from my sd card but you can rename the file update.zip, put it on the root of your sd card and then use nandroid to install it. the install was really quick (note that it wouldn’t install without a full wipe) and when that’s completed repeat the update process using the google apps zip that you downloaded earlier. it’s a bit odd using a rom that has absolutely no htc features but i’m getting used to it. everything works out of the box and i pulled all my backed up apps on using a batch restore in titanium backup
first impressions? i like the new apps drawer that springs into view after pressing the menu button at the bottom middle, the upgraded android market has a few new features, the new unlock screen also allows muting of the phone’s sound and the home screen now rotates when the phones in landscape mode. battery life seems a bit less than with the modaco rom but it’s still early days for the rom (it is an alpha build after all) but i think i could use this day to day without any major headaches.
UPDATE — new nightly builds are available here. progress has been made and the rom’s quite a bit smoother.
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