Commonly used android terms and phrases
Android App
All software applications designed to run on Android platform are called as android apps. Android apps can function on various mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones that use Android OS or Android Runtime Environments. Developers build Android apps using Android SDK/ADT bundle. Google Play Store is the app marketplace where new android apps can be released and downloaded.
Android Codename
Android codenames are otherwise known as Android versions. There 12 versions of Android release and updates till date. The names under dessert themes starts with Android 1.5 Cupcake released in the year 2009. The successive versions were named as Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean. Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is the name of the latest version released in 2013.
Android Fragmentation
Not all Android apps written using SDK run smoothly on a few devices as the different iterations of the platform result in varied user experience on different versions of the software. Moreover, customization of device manufactures also creates additional version of the android. Thus android fragmentation is the collective name of the problems in using android apps on variants of Android OS. This has been a challenge to carriers, device manufactures, and app developers alike.
Android SDK
Android Software Development Kit (SDK) comprises various tools and API libraries required for app developers. There are various packages of Android SDK some of them include SDK Tools, SDK Platform-Tools, SDK Platform for different versions of Android, Google APIs, Google Play Billing, and many more.
Android ADT
Android Development Tools (ADT) comprises android SDK components and an Eclipse IDE. Developers can use ADT to streamline android app development.
Google Play
Google Play is the online app store run by Google. It is indeed a marketplace for android apps. Developers of android apps can release their newly developed apps at Google Play from where users can download and install apps. It is also a cloud-based service that comes preinstalled in Android mobile devices. The contents from Google Play can be accessed with a Google account.
Android Widget
Android Widgets are tools used in customization of the home screen of mobile devices. Android widgets provide quick access to vital data. For instance, one can use the weather widget to have quick glance of weather reports without having to launch the application. The widget can be customized or re-sized according to the needs of the user.
Android Rooting
Android rooting is the process of obtaining “root access” on a device operating on Android OS. By obtaining root access, one gets access to the administrative commands and functions. Android mobile users perform android rooting to alter manufacturer-specific settings in order to use apps that require administrator level permissions. It is possible to update to newer versions of the OS with android rooting. However, rooting annuls all the warranties offered by manufacturers.