Some Android device owners may have wanted to experience the new Android 4.4 KitKat but still wait for their carriers to deliver it. The good news is that they do not need to wait any longer, thanks to CyanogenMod's latest Android 4.4 KitKat-based firmware.

This newly released build of CyanogenMod (CM) 11.0 is a custom ROM based on Android 4.4 KitKat, bringing the software to several smartphones that haven't received it yet. This includes the Sony Xperia Z, Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One devices.

CM 11 nightly builds support over 40 individual variants of smartphones. The most recent release of CM 11 comes after a previous build was released to limited Nexus devices, providing Android 4.4 KitKat to the Galaxy Nexus, which is the only Nexus device Google won't be sending Android 4.4 KitKat to.

The CyanogenMod team listed the supported device code names here and you can cross-reference it with individual devices in its wiki. The list is not yet complete and it notes that more devices will be added once in a while. Over the following weeks, people can expect to see majority of the 10.2 devices in the list to move over to the 11.0 category. Users who don't know their device's code name can check out their Wiki or Beta Download Portal. The list consists of all supported devices to date, which is 156 in total.

Google release Android 4.4.1 last week to fix some issues and improve the Nexus 5 camera among other changes. This update will be merged to the CM 11 code base and should start appearing in the nightly builds soon.

CyanogenMod got a $7 million venture capital funding early in 2013 and an attempt to broaden its reach with the launching of the CyanogenMod installer on Google Play last November. This Play Store stint was short-lived though with the Google team requesting for the removal of this app only two weeks after its release because apparently, it encourages owners to void their warranty.

The installer is still available from the CM Web site but Google Play having it would have exposed new users to nightly builds and provided an easy way for Android users to get the firmware. For those who want to help the CyanogenMod team, they can check #cyanogenmod-dev on Freenode IRC.