Cyanogen is trying to free Android from Google’s restrictions

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, Cyanogen launched a new mod platform for its Android devices that might give it a major advantage over every other device out there. Cyanogen says that a mod is more than an app, as it can deeply integrate with the phone in ways that Google hasn’t traditionally allowed. In a sea of phones that have the same basic features — a black rectangle with a camera — the company hopes to differentiate in a different way. It provides a number of system APIs to a manufacturer’s developers as part of an Platform Development Kit (PDK) which includes the bits needed to deeply integrate an app or service. Microsoft, an early partner, is launching a number of integrations across its suite of apps including Cortana, Skype, OneNote and Hyperlapse that aren’t possible on a standard Android device. With Cortana’s mod version, you’re able to use the ‘Hey Cortana’ hot word just like on Windows Phone and launch right into apps as well as execute commands. Usually only Google is allowed use hotwords since the feature is reserved for ‘OK Google’ functionality, but Cyanogen’s version allows it since it controls the OS and distribution. Microsoft’s Skype mod integrates the calling service directly into the default dialer, so Skype is right in your face when you go to make a normal call.