Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
May 23, 2012
We're getting a little hacky in this round of Android A to Z, and we're going to have a look at ClockworkMod recovery -- the de facto standard of custom recoveries for Android. It's...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
May 22, 2012
When you think of Android phones, you think of bloatware. We wish it weren't so, and not every phone comes with, but the majority of Android phones out there come from carriers and are chock ful...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
May 21, 2012
AOSP is a term you'll see used a lot -- here, as well as at other Android-centric sites on the Internet. I'll admit I'm guilty of using it and just expecting everyone to know what I'...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Feb 07, 2012
What is a widget? In Android, the word widget is a generic term for a bit of self-contained code that displays a program, or a piece of a program, that is also (usually) a shortcut to a larger...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Feb 06, 2012
What is USB? USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, and is a standard for connectors, cables and protocols used for data transfer and power between a computer and another electronic device. &nbs...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Feb 03, 2012
What is tethering? Besides the grounds for a giant debate about ethics (the kind that you can only find on the Internet) tethering, in this case, means to share the Internet connection from yo...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Feb 02, 2012
What is sideloading? It's a term you see a lot thrown around while talking about Android applications, and it's simple to explain. It means installing applications without using ...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Feb 01, 2012
What is recovery? In Android, recovery refers to the dedicated, bootable partition that has the recovery console installed. A combination of key presses (or instructions from a command l...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 31, 2012
What is a QR code? These things are everywhere nowadays. Little square barcode-looking things. They're on website, they're on pictures, they're on advertisements -- they're everywher...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Jan 30, 2012
What is a PRL? PRL stands for Preferred Roaming List and is a database used in CDMA (think Sprint and Verizon here) phones. It's built and provided by your carrier, and used when you...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Jan 27, 2012
What is open source? Open-source software is software that makes the source code freely available, for anyone to see and use. There are different open-source licenses that have different use conditi...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Jan 26, 2012
What is NFC? NFC stands for Near-Field Communication and is a set of standards (established in 2004) for small, portable devices to establish radio communications with each other. Devices need...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 25, 2012
What is Mobile World Congress? The next big mobile trade show on our Android schedule is Mobile World Congress -- or MWC, for those in the know. It's in Barcelona, Spain, and has been since 2006...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 24, 2012
What is an Android launcher? Probably the most powerful feature of Android is its ability to be customized. And that starts with what's typically called the "launcher." The launcher us...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Jan 23, 2012
What is a kernel? If you spend any time reading Android forums, blogs, how-to posts or online discussion you'll soon hear people talking about the kernel. A kernel isn't somethin...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Jan 20, 2012
What is the JIT? JIT stands for "Just In Time," and we use it to describe a Dalvik JIT compiler, which was added to Android with the 2.2 release. It compiles bytecode into nati...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Jan 18, 2012
Hacking. It means a lot of different things to different people, and to the public at large it conjures up imagery of evil people in exotic places. When we talk about hacking here at And...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 06, 2012
What's an ETF? An early termination fee is something you agree to, albeit grudgingly, when you sign a contract with a carrier. In return for, say, Verizon, selling you a phone for $199 instead o...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Jan 05, 2012
What is Dalvik? We hear that word getting thrown around a lot on the Internet when talking about Android and its inner workings. While there's no easy explanation we can give in just...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 04, 2012
What is CES? In just a few short days we'll be back yet again in Las Vegas for the 2012 International CES. That's Consumer Electronics Show, if you don't know, and it's the larg...
