ROM Manager has always been an indispensable tool for those of us with an unhealthy obsession with constantly juggling various ROMs between our phones. Now, the latest version of the app for rooted phones adds some interesting new functionality alongside a welcome visual refresh. Read on to find out what's new.
ROM Manager's main purpose is helping you get new custom ROMs onto your phone, and little has changed in that respect. The app still allows you to get custom firmware loaded from a variety of sources, including the app's built-in ROM listings area. This is a market of sorts for custom firmware, and ROM Manager will detect your hardware and offer up a list of compatible ROMs.
Version 4.0 adds the ability to rate and comment on ROMs for the first time, something which is particularly useful if you're flashing CyanogenMod nightlies and want to see which ones are the most stable. ClockworkMod's Koushik Dutta has also hinted that this new functionality could see ROM Manager extended beyond a simple app to a web-based portal for custom Android ROMs. This is something we'd love to see.
On a more superficial level, there's also some new fresh eye candy in ROM Manager 4.0, in the form of stylish, redesigned icons throughout the UI.
ROM Manager's slew of other useful features haven't gone anywhere, though. You can still use the app to keep your custom recovery up-to-date, as well as manage your Nandroid backups from within the OS. There's even the option to create EXT partitions on your SD card, something which is a blessing for Windows users, as doing this without access to a Linux machine can be particularly tedious.
So, some great improvements across the board in the latest version of ROM Manager, in addition to a great catalog of useful features that will be familiar to many. We look forward to seeing what the ClockworkMod team can bring to the table in future versions. Market links and QR codes can be found below.
