HD87
Senior Member
- May 14, 2011
- 222
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Android Terminology
.apk or APK's: An .apk file extension denotes an Android Package (APK) file, applications installed from the Market are apk's
adb: Android Debug Bridge, a versatile tool that lets you manage the state of an emulator instance or Android-powered device
ADK: Android Development Kit, software development kit that enables developers to create applications for the Android platform
Boot Loader: is the code that runs on a device (be it a phone, tablet or computer) before the operating system starts up. Almost all operating systems have bootloaders of some sort. This low-level code contains the instructions that tell a device how to start up and find the system kernel. The bootloader usually lives on the system board in non-volatile memory and is often specific to a device
Boot Animation: is seen while phone/tablet is powering on. This animation is a set of images compiled together in one or more folders & is displayed in a sequence which can be specified to play at a specific frame rate or looping time. Boot animation can be changed with root permissions, adding a bootanimation.zip to data/local folder with a file manager.
Boot Loop: simply means something is preventing the phone from completing it's boot cycle and is stuck between the boot animation and the unlock screen, creating a looped animation.
Brick/Bricked: often referred to when stuck in a boot loop, but a real brick is an unrecoverable device
ClockworkMod (CWM): A recovery program that is often used to apply updates, ROMs, or create a back up or restore a backup file. Can be installed by downloading the Acer Recovery Installer & flashing the ClockworkMod recovery image
Dev. or Developer: An individual that creates, or alters a file in such a manner as to advance the program
Flash or Flash Memory: a program technology that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed
ICS: Ice Cream Sandwich, new Android OS 4.0
Kernel: is the main component of most computer operating system's. It is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. It has complete control over everything that occurs in the system. Also includes the audio, screen, WiFi, & power management drivers.
Nandroid Backup: A file typically created in the custom recovery program, such as CWM, that is a copy of state your tablet is in before a drastic change is made. The file then can be moved onto or off of the SD card for later use in case something should go wrong in the ROM or Update, or a Boot Loop occurs
OTA: Over The Air, updates
Overclocking: Speeding up the CPU past the factory presets to achieve a faster and more responsive device (decreases battery life)
ROM: Read Only Memory, in this case referring to the tablet's internal memory where your firmware and basic applications are stored. A custom ROM is firmware released for the device that has been tweaked by a developer
Root: Common word associated with giving a user "super user" access to their phone/tablet's programming and other various aspects that would normally not be possible, removing/modifying apps & system files also known as "Jailbroken" for iPhone's
Stock: Simply means an unaltered state, such as when you first purchased your tablet.
SU: "Super user", or root permissions
Theme: A set of icons, backgrounds and app trays that change the aesthetics of the overall look of the home screen and its applications
UI: User Interface
Underclocking: Slowing down the CPU mainly to limit battery usage
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