The Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL smartphones now have CyanogenMod support in the form of custom firmware CM 10.1. CyanogenMod is an alternative firmware to the stock Android operating system installed in some smartphones. These two smartphones are the latest additions to Sony's Xperia flagship. The Xperia Z just released two months ago and was recently reported as selling almost 5 million units already.
Analysts say the Xperia Z sold 4.6 million in just 40 days. Its popularity may be due to the waterproof feature, or the high-end specs. It's equipped with a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 2 GB RAM. The 5-inch display has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The multi-touch screen is scratch-resistant and shatter-proof, making the phone virtually indestructible.
The Xperia ZL is currently available for pre-order and expected to ship April 19. The specs on the Xperia ZL are almost identical to its predecessor, minus the waterproof feature. It has an extended storage expansion-slot capacity and holds up to 64 GB of extra space, double that of the Xperia Z.
According to RootzWiki, users who like to root their phones now have the option of trying the custom CyanogenMod ROM, CM 10.1. The Xperia Z must be rooted before a custom ROM is installed and before rooting, you must make sure the Xperia Z is running stock Android Jelly Bean from Sony. So far, the method was tested on firmwares 10.1.D.0.317, 10.1.D.0.322 and 10.1.A.1.350.
For the Sony Xperia XL, the bootloader must be unlocked before applying root and you must have Android Jelly Bean firmware version 10.1.A.1.350.
As Android Police reported, the CyanogenMod CM 10.1 custom ROMS for the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL are "nightlies." This means that the firmware is still in experimental stages and not to be considered stable, although functional.
