CyanogenMod 7.2 Release Candidate Brings Predictive Phone Dialer, Ice Cream Sandwich Features to Android [Cyanogenmod]

Android (rooted): Our favorite custom Android ROM, CyanogenMod, has come out with a release candidate of its next version, complete with some Ice Cream Sandwich visual effects, a predictive phone dialer, and more.

We're still waiting for CyanogenMod 9, the Ice Cream Sandwich version of our favorite Android ROM, but the CyanogenMod team has come out with a small update to hold us over. It has some of Ice Cream Sandwich's transition and rotation effects, which adds some pizazz to the OS, plus an awesome predictive phone dialer, much like the one found in HTC's Sense UI or Samsung's TouchWiz UI. As you type numbers, it'll also search your contacts for people that match the numbers and letters as you type. It also has a number of bug fixes, plus advanced options for quiet hours, calendar reminders, and more. It also supports over 20 new devices, so if you've never tried out CyanogenMod, hit the link below to see if it's available for you (or check out the changelog to see all its newest features).

CyanogenMod is a free download for rooted Android devices. As always, the Release Candidate may still have a bug or two, but should be stable enough for everyday use.

CyanogenMod-7.2.0-RC1 Is Upon Us | CyanogenMod Blog

Miro Media Player 5 Release Candidate Out, Final Version Soon

The developers of Miro have released a first release candidate of the upcoming Miro 5 version. Miro at its core is a media player with Internet connectivity built right into the software. The software can play back media formats and supports the playing and downloading of media from the Internet.

You can use it to manage your local video and audio library, go to video hosting sites like YouTube from within the program interface to watch and download videos from there,  subscribe to podcasts, download torrent files, or make use of the channels and shows offered by Miro. Channels include the ever popular Ted Talks, Buzz out Loud or the Discovery Channel Video podcast. You can subscribe to these channels to receive updates when new items are published.

 

A lot has changed since our initial review in 2008 and last year’s update to Miro 4. The developers behind Miro have now released the first release candidate of the upcoming version 5. This is a test version which is not suited yet for productive environments. While the majority of features work without larger issues, you will come upon  a few bugs in that version, like the inability to minimize the program version using the button at the top of the window.

When you look at the program interface you will notice that it looks more or less identical to previous versions. The developers claim massive updates to the Windows backend of the software.

The new version of Miro now supports downloading HD videos from Vimeo feeds, faster device syncing and format conversions, song information and album art lookup, and a new album view mode that groups together songs by album and artist.

Interested users can download the release candidate of Miro 5 from the official blog. Downloads are provided for Windows and Mac Os X, and the source code.

New users should check out the Get Started section for an overview of some of the things that Miro allows them to do.

Are you using an all-in-one media player like Miro, or do you prefer to keep things separate?