Cyanogen wants to seize Android from Google, and now it has the cash to do it

In just 18 months, Cyanogen Inc., the commercial arm of the popular CyanogenMod Android variant, has raised over $110 million.

The latest round was for a whopping $80 million, and included investors such as Twitter Ventures, Qualcomm and Rupert Murdoch.

SEE ALSO: Cyanogen versus Google: Biting the Android that feeds

Investors are betting on Cyanogen because they believe it has the best shot at being the third biggest mobile OS, after Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

But wait, you're saying. Isn't Cyanogen based on Android? It sure is. But as Mashable contributor Evan Blass outlined last month, Cyanogen has aspirations for building a mobile ecosystem with no trace of Google.

In fact, Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster has said that Cyanogen is "attempting to take Android away from Google."

Read more...