Android alternative gets $7m funding

[Simon]

A team of Android programmers raises a $7m (£4.3m) investment to turn their hobby project into a rival to Google's phone operating system.

The CyanogenMod (CM) lets phone users swap the official version of Android for one that gives them more control over their phone or tablet.

It has reportedly been installed on over seven million Android devices.

The investment has helped found a company to employ the coders, who have been working on the project unpaid.

Cyanogen Inc will be based in Seattle and have as its technology chief Steve Kondik, who did a lot of the early work on the Android mod.

Installing the mod lets Android owners clean out unwanted apps and programs put on a phone by manufacturers and mobile operators.

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