On Apple devices running iOS and iOS-based operating systems, jailbreaking is the use of a privilege escalation exploit to remove software restrictions imposed by the manufacturer. Typically it is done through a series of kernel patches. A jailbroken device permits root access within the operating system and provides the right to install software unavailable through the App Store. Different devices and versions are exploited with a variety of tools. Apple views jailbreaking as a violation of the end-user license agreement and strongly cautions device owners not to try to achieve root access through the exploitation of vulnerabilities.
CyanogenMod is a discontinued open-source operating system for mobile devices, based on the Android mobile platform. Developed between 2009 and 2016, it was free and open-source software based on the official releases of Android by Google, with added original and third-party code, and based on a rolling release development model. Although only a subset of total CyanogenMod users elected to report their use of the firmware, on 23 March 2015, some reports indicated that over 50 million people ran CyanogenMod on their phones. It was also frequently used as a starting point by developers of other ROMs.
The T-Mobile Pulse (sold as the CHT8000 in Taiwan) is an Android-powered phone manufactured by Huawei and rebranded by T-Mobile. It is available in many markets including the UK and The Netherlands. Compared to many Android phones released at the time it was relatively low cost - originally selling for £185 in the UK, the Pulse achieved a minimum price of £19.99 + £10 top up on PAYG before being discontinued in April 2011. This made it one of the cheapest Android powered smartphones available at the time. The Pulse was also marketed as being the first Pay As You Go phone running the Android OS.
The Motorola Backflip is a touchscreen smartphone released to the U.S. for AT&T on March 7, 2010, and for other countries on Telus and Optus. It runs the open source Google Android software.
Rooting is the process by which users of Android devices can attain privileged control over various subsystems of the device, usually smartphones. Because Android is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel, rooting an Android device gives similar access to administrative (superuser) permissions as on Linux or any other Unix-like operating system such as FreeBSD or macOS.
The HTC Aria is a smartphone manufactured by HTC Corporation that runs the Android operating system with HTC Sense.
The Nook Color is a tablet computer/e-reader that was marketed by Barnes & Noble. A 7-inch (18 cm) tablet with multitouch touchscreen input, it is the first device in the Nook line to feature a full-color screen. The device is designed for viewing of books, newspapers, magazines, and children's picture books. A limited number of the children's books available for the Nook Color include interactive animations and the option to have a professional voice actor read the story. It was announced on 26 October 2010 and shipped on 16 November 2010. Nook Color became available at the introductory price of US$249. In December 2011, with the release of the Nook Tablet, it lowered to US$169. On 12 August 2012, the price lowered to US$149. On 4 November 2012, the price was further lowered to US$139. The tablet ran on Android.
Android software development is the process by which applications are created for devices running the Android operating system. Google states that "Android apps can be written using Kotlin, Java, and C++ languages" using the Android software development kit (SDK), while using other languages is also possible. All non-Java virtual machine (JVM) languages, such as Go, JavaScript, C, C++ or assembly, need the help of JVM language code, that may be supplied by tools, likely with restricted API support. Some programming languages and tools allow cross-platform app support. Third party tools, development environments, and language support have also continued to evolve and expand since the initial SDK was released in 2008. The official Android app distribution mechanism to end users is Google Play; it also allows staged gradual app release, as well as distribution of pre-release app versions to testers.
The Acer Iconia A500 is a tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Acer Inc. The A500 launched with the Android Honeycomb operating system which is now upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3. The tablet is also sold in almost identical form as the Packard Bell Liberty Tab G100.
The Nook Tablet is a tablet e-reader/media player that was produced and marketed by Barnes & Noble. It followed the Nook Color and was intended to compete with both e-book readers and tablet computers.
AOKP, short for Android Open Kang Project, is an open-source replacement distribution for smartphones and tablet computers based on the Android mobile operating system. The name is a play on the word kang and AOSP. The name was a joke, but it stuck. It was started as free and open-source software by Roman Birg based on the official releases of Android Open Source Project by Google, with added original and third-party code, features, and control.
Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP), pronounced "twerp", is an open-source software custom recovery image for Android-based devices. It provides a touchscreen-enabled interface that allows users to install third-party firmware and back up the current system, functions usually not supported by stock recovery images. It is, therefore, often installed when flashing, installing, or rooting Android devices, although it does not require a device to be rooted before installation.
The Xiaomi Redmi 1S, code-named armani HM 1S, is a smartphone released in May 2014, developed by the Chinese company Xiaomi Inc. It is a part of the Redmi series of smartphones, and succeeded the Redmi 1. Visually similar to its predecessor, it comes with a 4.7-inch screen, a quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A7 processor and runs Android version 4.3 (Jellybean), bundled with the proprietary MIUI v5 user interface, which can be upgraded to MIUI v9 based on Android 4.4.4 KTU84P.
Custom firmware, also known as aftermarket firmware, is an unofficial new or modified version of firmware created by third parties on devices such as video game consoles, mobile phones, and various embedded device types to provide new features or to unlock hidden functionality. In the video game console community, the term is often written as custom firmware or simply CFW, referring to an altered version of the original system software inside a video game console such as the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita/PlayStation TV, PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch. Installing custom firmware on some devices requires bootloader unlocking.
Xiaomi Redmi 2 is a smartphone produced by Xiaomi released in January 2015. It is the successor to the Xiaomi Redmi 1 family.
Samsung Galaxy Star 2 Plus G350E is a smartphone manufactured by Samsung Electronics that runs on the open source Android operating system. Announced by Samsung in early August 2014. It has additional software features, expanded hardware, and a redesigned physique from its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Star 2.
LineageOS is an Android-based operating system for smartphones, tablet computers, and set-top boxes, with mostly free and open-source software. It is the successor to CyanogenMod, from which it was forked in December 2016, when Cyanogen Inc. announced it was discontinuing development and shut down the infrastructure behind the project. Since Cyanogen Inc. retained the rights to the Cyanogen name, the project rebranded its fork as LineageOS.
SlimRoms is an Android custom ROM. Its main feature is the many setting options of the user interface.
The Android recovery mode is a mode of Android used for installing updates and wipe data. It consists of a Linux kernel with ramdisk on a separate partition from the main Android system.
