The most popular custom ROM for rooted Android phones has been updated again today. The first release candidate for Cyanogen Mod 7.1 is up for grabs for users who are interested in getting more from their Android smartphones. Cyanogen Mod is a custom ROM based on Google’s Android OS that is developed and maintained by the CyanogenMod team. Users with rooted Android smartphones can install the custom firmware on their devices to enjoy features otherwise not available on official Android releases. Today’s update brings support for new devices, bug fixes, performance updates, and a handful of new features. CM71 is based on the latest version of Android (that’s 2.3.4 “Gingerbread) whose major new feature is native video/voice chatting on Google Talk. Previously, users could only use text to chat with each other, but that’s not going to be the case anymore. Video/voice chat works over 3G, 4G, and WiFi (no need to do anything special to the device to make it work over 3G). Other new features that were included include mouse support, an option to get notified about incoming calls in the background when the screen is on, and a bunch of other small tweaks that improve the overall user-experience. The latest version of also brings support for the Samsung Galaxy S (and its American, carrier-based variations), HTC Incredible S, T-Mobile G2X/LG Optimus 2X and a Motorola Cliq/Cliq XT. Users who are interested in updating to CM7.1 RC1 are suggested to back up their current set up using ROM Manager and Titanium Backup. The simplest way to upgrade is from ROM Manager itself, but for users who know their device’s codename, you may install it manually by grabbing it from here. Just keep in mind that this is an RC release, so there will be bugs that need to be fixed – proceed with caution. The complete change log is as follows: Common: Android 2.3.4 (Google) Common: Bluetooth mouse support – Scott Brady Common: Improve notification swipe-to-clear – Evan Charlton Common: Improve album-artist support in media scanner – Paul Crovella Common: Profile improvements and bugfixes – Martin Long Common: RTL text improvements – Eyad Aboulouz, Eran Mizrahi Common: Wake on volume key option – Sven Dawitz Common: Support for revoking application permissions – Plamen K. Kosseff Common: Latest Superuser app – ChainsDD Common: Control brightness by sliding on statusbar – Danesh M Common: Add “copy all” to context menu – Danesh M Common: Lockscreen haptic and statusbar indicators toggle – Danesh M Common: Nicer timepicker/datepicker – Jiri Tyr Common: Configuration 0/90/180/270 rotation – Jonas Larsson, Scott Brady Common: DSP Manager bugfixes and improvements – Antti S Lankila Common: Support for launching apps via gestures in the background – Jiri Tyr Common: Option to hide hold button during call – Roberto Leinardi Common: Allow using wildcards for call blacklisting – Nihanth Subramanya Common: Option to allow in-call lockscreen to match main lockscren – Sven Dawitz Common: Option to notify about incoming call only in background when screen is on – Pavel Kucera Common: ADWLauncher- Transitions, catalog improvements, bugfixes – John Van Etten Common: Optional GMT correction for SMS/MMS timestamps – Terry Hau Common: Add FM Seek for TI devices – KalimochoAz Common: Add FM support for SI4708 devices (Blade, V9, Racer) – Stéphane Konstantaropoulos Common: Add FM seek implementation to FM application – Tom Giordano Click, Motorola: Speed up photo recording – Emilio López Click, Motorola: Add Geolocation to photo app – KalimochoAz Vision/Glacier/Ace/Speedy/Vivo: 2.6.35 kernel and updated userspace Buzz: 2.6.35 kernel – Arne Coucheron If you decide to try out the new version on your Android device, let us know about your experience in the comments below! Stay tuned for more info on this topic by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or by subscribing to our RSS Feed. Authors: