On Wednesday, CyanogenMod revealed that it is has become a company, and that it plans to release hardware running its CyanogenMod software, but it didn’t reveal a device partner. A teaser video posted to Oppo’s YouTube account on Friday, however, is a good indication that Oppo will be announcing the first CyanogenMod phone on September 23.
In the video, CyanogenMod co-founder Steve Kondik, donning a pair of Google Glass, simply looks into the camera and says, “I’m looking forward to attending the Oppo event in Bejing. We have exciting news ahead.” The screen then goes to black, and the text Oppo N1 appears, quickly replaced by “Possibilities unfold on September 23.”
Now, I’d say that’s a pretty obvious nod to expect an Oppo N1 running CyanogenMod come September 23, which makes a good deal of sense for both parties. Oppo has proven itself to be a manufacturer of high-quality devices, but it hasn’t quite nailed the software experience. And CyanogenMod would help gain exposure for Oppo, which, outside of China, is still best known for its high-end Blu-ray players. This partnership would also give Oppo the opportunity to enter the hardware game, while working to further spread its software through an app in Google Play.
Not much is known about the Oppo N1 otherwise. And it is unclear if there will be two versions of the phone – one running CyanogenMod and one running Oppo’s modified version of Android – or if CyanogenMod will be the only flavor offered. Earlier teasers indicated the N1 will use a rear touch panel, which Oppo is calling “A brand new user experience.”
We’ll know a lot more for sure when the phone is introduced on Monday.
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