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Cyanogen: More users than Windows Mobile and BlackBerry combined

There are few more acclaimed modded versions of Android than CyanogenMod.

That’s why it’s no surprise that Cyanogen’s operating system is more popular than two of its biggest rivals.

Speaking at the Seatte Code Rush today, Cyanogen software engineer Adnan Begovic revealed the spin-off OS was more popular than Windows Mobile and BlackBerry combined.

According to a report by AndroidCentral, the actual number of CyanogenMod users stands at around 50 million.

cyanogenAdnan Begovic speaking at SCR

We should point out that Begovic’s mention of Windows Mobile has been slightly controversial, because it’s not clear whether he’s referring to Windows Phone or the unreleased Windows 10 Mobile.

The latter isn’t due to launch until this autumn, so it’s probably safe to assume he meant the former.

Nevertheless, it’s still an impressive feat for a company that’s grown from indie modding roots.

Related: Best Android Smartphones 2015

Cyanogen has been making a serious push to move away from its lowly hacker beginnings and adopt a more corporate image in recent times.

The first evidence of that was a large-scale rebranding back in early March, which saw the firm adopt a slick, professional new logo.

That was followed by a funding round – also in March – that raised $80 million in capital for the Cyanogen.

Amongst the backers were Twitter, Qualcomm, Telefonica, Tencent, and Rupert Murdoch.

At the time, Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster said: “We’re committed to creating an open computing platform that fundamentally empowers the entire mobile ecosystem from developers to hardware makers and, most importantly, consumers around the world.”

Check out our smartphone group test video below:

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