The Epic 4G is one of the many names associated with the original Samsung Galaxy S, and it almost seems like a relic these days with the Galaxy S3 and now the cryptic Galaxy S4. We have had some uplifting news though, coming from the CyanogenMod Team, where it was announced that Samsung’s Epic 4G has received CM10.1 nightlies.
If you’re unfamiliar with CM, they are a not-for-profit development team bringing in optimization and new capabilities to customize over stock Android. CM10.1 features the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update that was released last fall, which includes lockscreen widgets, PhotoSphere, Daydream mode, an upgraded Gmail with pinch-to-zoom, and an assortment of other features that may prove useful.
Lockscreen widgets are good for glancing, and if you glance at your phone a lot, chances are you just stare at the home screen, maybe flip through it a few times before locking it back down. Or maybe that’s just me. But this does bring a purpose to that glancing, and it would allow you to quickly check your email, text messages and what have you without even having to unlock your phone, all of which are in in full detail.
PhotoSphere is a 360 degree panoramic view that places you inside a “sphere” of pictures that you take and are intricately woven together to form a full, near-seamless image. This is good for taking bigger pictures of relatively large areas that a normal snapper just won’t manage, and even looks great on a mountain top.
Daydream mode works under certain conditions, such as while your phone is docked or on the charger. It is, in a sense, a screen saver type that can be customized to displays picture, or even set as a digital clock. It would be more ideal for using on a phone dock than on a charger, but in any case, it’s nice to have both options available.
If you want to pick up the latest version, head on over to CyanogenMod website and give it a shot, if you’re not sure how to install, you can follow their simple instructions here. Don’t forget to download the latest Google Apps (GAPPs), otherwise you won’t have Gmail, Google Play, or other stock Google apps that you might find important. If you’ve already tried it out, then tell us; does Android 4.2 Jelly Bean make a good improvement for overall performance on this phone? Let us know what you think about it!