one of the terrific things about using Google’s Android over one of the rivaling ecosystems is the access to after market firmware releases. If you’re not a fan of the stock offering, you can always download an alternative ROM, but while having so numerous options out there is in the best interests of consumer choice, it does make things a little bamboozling, particularly for the newbie. thanks to the work of XDA-Developers member Nimrodity, who has curated a enormous database of ROMs and their various features, you can not only find out which ROM is best for you before downloading, but also date of release, build version and other helpful information.

With so numerous individuals and groups working on Android hacks and mods, it would be somewhat ignorant to earmark one for stand-out praise, but XDA community is certainly a critical cog in the wheel. While we’re so used to the XDA-Dev forums providing terrific pieces of software, this comprehensive table of all the popular ROMs is every bit as useful, and because it’s up on Google Docs, it will be kept up-to-date in the interests of Android modders.

Picking the ideal ROM is certainly not a cut-and-dried thing, particularly when there are no guarantees as to how nicely a piece of firmware will play once flashed onto your device. but having this chart available at a glance is certainly very handy, and if you have been wanting to delve into the dark side but have chose not to due to lack of information, the appropriately entitled customized ROM comparison database could be of much use.

It covers all of the most popular, including Paranoid Android, AOKP and of course, CyanogenMod, among others. The fact that it’s an open book — kind of like the Wikipedia of Android ROMs, if you like — implies that anybody can add their own, lesser known favorite ROM into the mixer, which will in turn help others to delight in it as much they do.

It’s a wonderful idea, and only but underlines the community spirit serving as the lifeblood of the Android world. check out the whole chart hosted on Google Docs here.

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