Glossary

Mobile, Hardware & Tech Trends

379 terms in this category.

High refresh rate display for smooth scrolling

Additive manufacturing layer by layer. FDM (filament), SLA (resin), and SLS (powder). Rapid prototyping, custom parts, a

Pressure-sensitive display technology replaced by Haptic Touch

3840x2160 pixel display resolution four times 1080p

Fifth generation of mobile networks. Speeds up to 10Gbps, latency <1ms, and 1M devices/km². Enables massive IoT, AR/VR,

Sixth generation of mobile networks, expected around 2030. Theoretical speeds of 1Tbps, holographic communication, and A

7680x4320 pixel resolution for large display formats

Hardware speeding specific operations like GPU NPU TPU

Sensor measuring acceleration and orientation. Step counting, screen rotation.

Accessibility Service

OS feature for assistive apps. Screen readers, voice control.

Fan or liquid cooling system for processors

Library displaying ads in apps. AdMob, Unity Ads. Revenue source.

Adaptive Charging

Battery charging that learns user patterns and slows charging to 80% until needed. Extends battery lifespan. Implemented

Apple's peer-to-peer file sharing using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Instantly share files, photos, and links between Apple devi

Disabling all wireless communication. Required during flights.

Always-on Display

Screen showing time, notifications, and widgets while the device sleeps. OLED pixels illuminate selectively for minimal

Google's mobile OS based on Linux. 72% global market share. Open source (AOSP). Google Play Store with 3.5M+ apps.

Official Android IDE. Kotlin/Java, emulator, profiler.

Android version identifier. Determines available features. Target and minimum.

Android Package Kit. App installation file. Replaced by AAB for Play Store.

Tracking and analyzing mobile app user behavior

Android packaging format replacing APK. Dynamic delivery, smaller downloads.

A small part of an iOS app discoverable at the moment it's needed. No full installation required. Launched via NFC, QR c

States an app goes through. Active, background, suspended, terminated.

User-granted capability. Camera, location, contacts. Runtime request.

Official store approval process checking guidelines

OS isolation between apps. Own storage, process. Security boundary.

Cryptographically signing app for distribution. Play App Signing, Apple certs.

Total disk space app occupies. Affects downloads. Asset optimization reduces.

Apple iOS app marketplace with curated content

App Store Optimization

ASO — improving app visibility and downloads in app stores. Keywords, screenshots, ratings, and descriptions. The SEO of

New version of installed app. Automatic or manual. Staged rollout.

iPhone interface projected onto car infotainment display

Apple Intelligence

Apple's on-device AI system integrating across iOS, macOS, and iPadOS. Writing tools, image generation, smart notificati

Apple's custom ARM-based chips for Mac. M1 through M4 deliver industry-leading performance per watt. Unified memory arch

Augmented reality overlay on camera. Snapchat, Instagram. Face tracking.

Google's augmented reality SDK for Android. Motion tracking, environmental understanding, and light estimation. Enables

Apple's augmented reality framework for iOS. Face tracking, object detection, LiDAR support, and world mapping. Powers A

ARM Architecture

A RISC processor architecture dominating mobile and increasingly desktop/server. Energy efficient. Apple Silicon, Qualco

Augmented Reality

AR overlays digital elements onto the real world. Apple Vision Pro, Pokémon GO, and Instagram filters. ARKit (iOS) and A

A royalty-free video codec by Alliance for Open Media (Google, Meta, Netflix). Better compression than H.264/H.265. Hard

Background Process

App execution when not in foreground. Services, sync, notifications.

Backup (Mobile)

Saving device data. iCloud, Google Backup. Restore on new device.

Router directing devices to optimal frequency. 2.4GHz far, 5GHz fast.

Full charge-discharge cycle affecting battery lifespan

A metric showing battery capacity relative to when it was new. 80%+ is healthy for phones. Lithium-ion batteries degrade

Battery Optimization

OS managing app background activity. Doze mode. Restricts wake locks.

Power mode extending battery by limiting features

Benchmark (Hardware)

Standardized performance tests. Geekbench, AnTuTu, 3DMark.

Pre-release software version. Test new features. iOS TestFlight, Play Beta.

The border around a display screen. Modern devices minimize bezels for larger screen-to-body ratios. Edge-to-edge displa

Sorting chips by quality/speed after manufacturing. Best become top-tier products.

Biometric Authentication

Using physical characteristics for identity verification. Face ID (3D face mapping), Touch ID (fingerprint), and iris sc

Basic Input/Output System — legacy firmware initializing hardware before the OS boots. Replaced by UEFI on modern comput

A distributed, immutable ledger. Blocks of transactions cryptographically chained together. Bitcoin (2009) was the first

Bluetooth Low Energy — power-efficient wireless protocol for IoT, wearables, and accessories. Designed for small, period

Bluetooth topology connecting thousands of devices in a mesh network. Smart lighting, industrial IoT, and building autom

First software running on device startup. Loads operating system.

Temporary data storage for faster access. Clear to free space.

Programming interface for camera. CameraX (Android), AVFoundation (iOS).

CMOS image sensor capturing light for digital photos

Carrier Aggregation

Combining multiple cellular frequency bands for higher throughput. 5G uses carrier aggregation extensively. Enables giga

Cellular Network

Mobile wireless network. 4G LTE, 5G. Carrier operated.

A small chip die designed to be combined with others in a single package. AMD Ryzen uses chiplets for CPUs. Improves yie

Processor cycles per second. GHz. Higher = faster per core.

Storing device data in cloud. Automatic, encrypted. Cross-device restore.

Playing games streamed from cloud. GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Compressor-decompressor for media. H.264, H.265, AV1, AAC, Opus.

Mobile app paired with hardware device. Smartwatch, fitness tracker.

Computational Photography

Using software and AI to enhance photos beyond hardware limits. Night mode, HDR, Portrait mode, and Magic Eraser. Google

Device's ability to connect to networks. Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth.

Container Format

File format wrapping media streams. MP4, MKV, WebM.

Microsoft's AI-ready PC specification. Requires NPU with 40+ TOPS. Recall, Cocreator, and Live Captions use on-device AI

Independent processing unit. Multi-core: 4, 8, 16 cores. Parallel execution.

Apple's framework for on-device machine learning. Runs models on Neural Engine, GPU, or CPU. Supports vision, NLP, and s

Central Processing Unit — the computer's brain. Executes instructions sequentially. Cores, threads, clock speed, and cac

Crash Analytics

Tracking and reporting app crashes. Firebase Crashlytics, Sentry.

Working across multiple devices. Handoff (Apple), Nearby Share (Google).

Development generating apps for multiple platforms from one codebase. React Native and Flutter are leaders. Saves time b

Digital currency based on cryptography and blockchain. Bitcoin (store of value), Ethereum (smart contracts), and stablec

Modified Android OS. LineageOS. Requires unlocked bootloader.

Company-designed processor chips like Apple M-series

Dark Mode (Mobile)

UI theme with dark backgrounds. Saves OLED battery. System-wide.

Transistors that must be powered off to stay within thermal limits. As chips shrink, more area becomes dark silicon. Spe

Moving data between devices or platforms. Setup wizard, transfer tools.

Fifth-generation Double Data Rate memory. 4800-8400+ MHz, up to 512GB per module. Powers current-gen desktops, laptops,

App version with debugging features. Logs, assertions, slower.

URLs that open specific content within a mobile app. Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android). Bridges web and app

Hardware measuring distance to objects. LiDAR (iPhone Pro), ToF sensors, and structured light. Enables AR, portrait mode

Hidden OS settings for developers. USB debugging, layout bounds.

Software enabling OS to communicate with hardware. GPU, audio, network.

Device Fingerprint

Unique device identification from characteristics. Anti-fraud.

Device Management

Centrally managing devices. MDM for enterprise. Remote wipe, policy.

Apple Watch physical control dial for navigation

A virtual replica of a physical object, process, or system. Updated with real-time data from sensors. Used in manufactur

Digital Wellbeing

Software tools managing screen time and digital habits. Screen Time (iOS), Digital Wellbeing (Android). App limits, focu

Screen technology type LCD OLED Mini-LED or microLED

Display Resolution

Pixel count: 1080p, 1440p, 4K. Higher = sharper. PPI for density.

A digital display interface standard. DP 2.1 supports 16K at 60Hz. Used in monitors and GPUs. USB-C can carry DisplayPor

Deep Learning Super Sampling — NVIDIA's AI upscaling technology. Renders at lower resolution and uses AI to upscale. Hig

An immersive audio format with object-based sound placement in 3D space. Sounds positioned precisely around the listener

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Photography, agriculture, deliveries, and inspection. DJI dominates the consumer market.

Two rear cameras combining wide and telephoto lenses

Support for two SIM cards. Personal and work numbers. Physical + eSIM.

Apple's interactive notification area replacing the iPhone notch. Adapts shape and size for alerts, media controls, and

Electronic ink display technology mimicking paper. No backlight, extremely low power. Kindle e-readers, reMarkable table

Error-Correcting Code memory detecting and fixing single-bit errors. Required for servers and workstations. Prevents dat

Connected products and services from one company

A computing device at the network periphery processing data locally. IoT sensors, smart cameras, and industrial controll

Google's purpose-built AI chip for edge devices. Runs TensorFlow Lite models efficiently. Powers Coral devices for on-de

UI extending to screen edges behind system bars. Immersive experience.

Software simulating mobile device. Android Emulator, iOS Simulator.

Encryption (Mobile)

Device data encryption. File-based (Android), Data Protection (iOS).

Embedded SIM — a programmable SIM built into the device. Switch carriers without physical SIM cards. Multiple profiles f

Exascale Computing

Computing systems performing 10^18 operations per second. Frontier (ORNL) was the first exascale supercomputer. Used for

Following user gaze direction for interface control

Apple 3D facial recognition using TrueDepth camera

Face Recognition

Identifying persons by facial features. Face ID, smart lock.

Restoring device to original state. Erases all data. Last resort.

High-power charging technology. USB PD, Qualcomm Quick Charge.

Basic mobile phone. Calls, texts. KaiOS adds basic smart features.

App for browsing device filesystem. Files (iOS), Files (Android).

Fingerprint Sensor

Biometric scanner reading fingerprints. Under-display, side, rear.

Low-level software permanently stored in hardware. Controls basic device behavior: BIOS/UEFI, routers, and IoT. Updating

Fitness Tracker

Wearable device monitoring physical activity and health

Non-volatile solid-state storage technology NAND based

Flexible Display

Screen technology that can bend fold or roll

Clamshell foldable phone design like Galaxy Z Flip

Google's cross-platform UI toolkit using Dart. Compiles to native ARM code. Single codebase for iOS, Android, web, and d

Flutter (Detail)

Dart-based. Native ARM code. iOS/Android/web.

Foldable Display

Flexible screens that fold without breaking. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold/Flip, Google Pixel Fold. UTG (Ultra Thin Glass) enabl

Failure to render frame on time. Causes stutter. Monitor with profilers.

Forward-facing camera for selfies and video calls

FidelityFX Super Resolution — AMD's open-source upscaling technology. Works on any GPU (including NVIDIA). Boosts perfor

Framework for game development. Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot.

Smartphone optimized for gaming with cooling and triggers

Graphics DDR6 — high-bandwidth memory for GPUs. Up to 24Gbps per pin. GDDR6X (NVIDIA) reaches 23Gbps. Essential for gami

Gesture Control

Interacting with devices through hand movements without touching. Apple Vision Pro hand tracking, Google Soli radar chip

Phone rear panel made of glass enabling wireless charging

Russian satellite navigation system complementing GPS

GNU General Public License — a copyleft license. Derived code must also be GPL. Linux kernel uses GPL v2. Ensures softwa

Global Positioning System. Satellite navigation. Location services.

Graphics Processing Unit — originally for graphics, now essential for AI and parallel computing. NVIDIA RTX 4090 (gaming

Using graphics processor for screen element drawing

Single atom carbon layer for future batteries and processors

Creative, low-cost strategies for rapid growth. A/B testing, viral loops, referral programs, and product-led growth are

Sensor measuring rotational movement. Gaming, VR, stabilization.

High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) — video codec achieving 50% better compression than H.264. Standard for 4K streaming

Sophisticated vibration motor providing tactile feedback

Haptic Feedback

Touch-based feedback through vibrations. Taptic Engine in iPhones provides precise haptics. Enhances typing, gaming, and

Hard Disk Drive — storage with rotating magnetic disks. Cheaper per TB than SSD. Used for backup, NAS, and cold storage.

High-Definition Multimedia Interface. HDMI 2.1 supports 4K@120Hz and 8K@60Hz. Standard for TVs, monitors, and consoles.

High Dynamic Range — wider range of brightness and colors in displays and content. HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ are s

Apple framework for health data. Steps, heart rate, sleep.

Health Monitoring

Wearable sensors tracking heart rate blood oxygen sleep

A sealed tube using liquid evaporation and condensation to transfer heat. Used in laptop cooling. Vapor chambers are fla

Device main screen. App icons, widgets. Customizable.

Apple's smart speaker with Siri integration. Spatial audio, HomeKit hub, and Intercom. Competes with Amazon Echo and Goo

Horizontal Mode

Landscape device orientation for video and gaming

An application using web technologies (HTML, CSS, JS) packaged to look native. Ionic and Capacitor are popular framework

Image Signal Processor

ISP chip converting raw sensor data to photos

In-App Purchase

Buying content within app. Subscriptions, consumables. IAP.

Industrial Design

Physical product design considering materials and ergonomics

Infrared Sensor

Sensor detecting infrared light for face scanning

Ingress Protection

IP rating measuring dust and water resistance. IP68 = dust-tight and submersible beyond 1m. Standard for modern smartpho

Intelligent Tracking Prevention

Apple's Safari feature blocking cross-site tracking cookies and fingerprinting. Limits advertiser tracking. Part of Appl

Apple's mobile OS for iPhone. Known for security, privacy, and a curated App Store. Swift and SwiftUI for native develop

Internet of Things — a network of connected physical devices: sensors, cameras, thermostats, wearables. Communicate via

Ingress Protection rating for dust and water resistance

Removing iOS restrictions. Install unofficial apps. Security risk.

Jetpack Compose

Android's modern declarative UI toolkit by Google. Kotlin-based, similar philosophy to SwiftUI. Replaced XML layouts. Co

Custom keyboard replacement. Gboard, SwiftKey. Predictions, themes.

Google's preferred language for Android development. Concise, null-safe, and fully interoperable with Java. Coroutines f

Key Performance Indicator — a metric measuring the success of an activity. Examples: DAU (Daily Active Users), MRR (Mont

Android home screen app. Nova, Lawnchair. Customizable layout.

Lithium Polymer battery — lightweight, flexible form factor used in smartphones, laptops, and wearables. Higher energy d

Light Detection and Ranging — uses laser pulses to measure distances and create 3D maps. iPhone Pro, autonomous vehicles

A family of open-source OSes based on the Linux kernel. Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, and Debian are popular distros. Dominates

Location Services

Device GPS and network location. App permissions. Battery impact.

Security screen before device access. PIN, pattern, biometric.

Low-Code / No-Code

Platforms allowing application creation with little or no code. Bubble, Retool, and Webflow. Democratize development but

Long Term Evolution 4G cellular standard

A compact form factor for SSDs and wireless cards. NVMe M.2 drives are the fastest consumer storage. 2280 (22mm wide, 80

Apple's OS for Mac. Unix-based with a full terminal. Apple Silicon (M1-M4) revolutionized performance. Popular among dev

Magnetic Charging

MagSafe-style magnetic alignment for wireless charging

Material Design

Google's design system. Components, colors, typography, motion.

A smart home connectivity standard by Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung. One protocol for all smart home devices. Works

Memory Management

Operating system allocating RAM to running applications

Multiple access points creating a seamless wireless network. Eliminates dead zones. Eero, Google Nest WiFi, and UniFi. S

Apple's low-level graphics API. High-performance 3D rendering.

A persistent, immersive virtual world. Meta (Facebook) invested $36B+. Roblox, Fortnite, and VRChat are proto-metaverses

Legacy connector replaced by reversible USB-C

Next-generation display technology using microscopic LEDs. Self-emissive like OLED but brighter, longer-lasting, and no

Microphone Array

Multiple microphones for noise cancellation and directionality

Mid-Range Phone

Balanced price-performance smartphone 300-500 dollars

Millimeter Wave

High-frequency 5G band with fast speeds short range

LCD backlighting using thousands of tiny LEDs for precise dimming zones. Better contrast than regular LCD, approaching O

A permissive open-source license. Allows commercial use, modification, and distribution. Only requires keeping the copyr

MR combines real and virtual elements that interact with each other. Apple Vision Pro and HoloLens. Users manipulate dig

Mobile Analytics

Tracking app usage. Sessions, screens, events. Firebase, Amplitude.

Server services for mobile apps. Auth, database, push, storage.

Mobile Database

On-device data storage. SQLite, Realm, Core Data.

Mobile Framework

Tool for building mobile apps. React Native, Flutter, SwiftUI.

Cellular data connection. 4G, 5G. Carrier dependent.

Paying via mobile device. Apple Pay, Google Pay. NFC contactless.

Mobile Processor

System-on-chip for phones like Snapdragon or A-series

Mobile Security

Protecting mobile devices. Encryption, biometrics, MDM.

Testing apps on devices/emulators. UI, performance, compatibility.

Hardware for cellular connectivity. Integrated in SoC or separate.

The main board connecting all components: CPU, RAM, storage, GPU. Socket, chipset, and form factor (ATX, mATX, ITX) defi

Sensors detecting device physical movement

Multiple rear cameras covering different focal lengths

Screen detecting multiple simultaneous touch points. Pinch, zoom.

Minimum Viable Product — the simplest version of a product that validates a business hypothesis. Focus on essential feat

Engineering at the nanometer scale (1-100nm). Applications in medicine, materials, and electronics. 3nm transistors in t

An application developed specifically for one platform (iOS with Swift, Android with Kotlin). Maximum performance and fu

Android/Chrome OS file sharing. Wi-Fi Direct. Google's AirDrop equivalent.

Apple's dedicated AI/ML hardware in Apple Silicon chips. Accelerates on-device ML tasks: Face ID, photo processing, Siri

Neural Network Compiler

Software optimizing neural network models for specific hardware. TVM, ONNX Runtime, and Apple ANE compiler. Converts mod

Neural Radiance Field

NeRF — AI technique creating 3D scenes from 2D photos. Photorealistic novel viewpoints from a handful of images. Applica

Near Field Communication — very short-range wireless (~4cm). Powers contactless payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay), transi

Non-Fungible Token — a unique blockchain token representing digital ownership: art, music, collectibles. Boomed in 2021-

Camera feature for low-light photos. AI processing, long exposure.

Blue light filter adjusting screen warmth for evening use

Noise Cancellation

Active noise cancellation removing ambient sound

System or app alert delivered as banner badge or sound

Notification Channel

Android feature grouping notifications by type with user-configurable priority. Users control which notification types t

Neural Processing Unit — dedicated chip for AI inference on-device. Intel, Qualcomm, and Apple include NPUs. Enables AI

Non-Volatile Memory Express — protocol designed for SSDs. Much faster than SATA. PCIe 5.0 NVMe reaches 14,000+ MB/s. The

Original Equipment Manufacturer. Samsung, Xiaomi build Android devices.

Organic Light-Emitting Diode — display where each pixel emits its own light. Perfect blacks, infinite contrast, and wide

Permanent image retention on OLED displays from static elements displayed too long. Navigation bars and status bars are

Running AI models directly on user devices without cloud. Apple Neural Engine, Qualcomm NPU, and Google TPU Mobile. Priv

Software with open source code and a license allowing use, modification, and distribution. Linux, Git, PostgreSQL, and R

Operating System

Base software managing hardware and providing services to applications. Windows (desktop), macOS (Apple), Linux (servers

Optical Image Stabilization

OIS reducing camera shake in photos

Genuine magnification without digital quality loss

Over-the-air software update. Downloaded and installed wirelessly.

Passive Cooling

Heat dissipation using heatsinks without moving parts

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express — high-speed interface connecting GPUs, SSDs, and expansion cards. PCIe 5.0 de

Stylus interaction. Apple Pencil, S Pen. Drawing, notes, precision.

Performance Mode

Device setting maximizing speed. Higher clock, more battery usage.

Folded optics enabling 5-10x optical zoom in phones

Device image storage. Camera Roll, Google Photos. Cloud sync.

Picture-in-Picture. Video floating over other apps while multitasking.

Google's Android app marketplace. 3.5M+ apps. Review process.

Audio content player. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts.

Power over Ethernet — delivering electrical power alongside data through Ethernet cables. Powers security cameras, acces

Power Management

OS managing energy usage. Sleep modes, background limits.

Privacy Dashboard

Android/iOS view of app permission usage. Camera, mic, location access.

Chip manufacturing technology. 3nm, 5nm, 7nm. Smaller = more efficient.

A chip executing software instructions. CPUs for general tasks, GPUs for parallel, and NPUs for AI. Apple Silicon, Intel

Responsible for defining and prioritizing the product backlog. Represents stakeholders and users. Ensures the team works

Profile (Mobile)

User account or configuration set. Work profile, personal profile.

Apple's adaptive refresh rate technology. Dynamically adjusts from 1Hz to 120Hz based on content. Smooth scrolling when

Proximity Sensor

Detects nearby objects. Turns off screen during calls.

Push Notification

Messages sent from server to user's device, even when the app isn't open. Engagement tool but overuse causes uninstalls.

Quad-Level Cell — flash storage storing 4 bits per cell. Higher density and lower cost than TLC. Slightly lower enduranc

Qualcomm Snapdragon

Qualcomm's SoC platform powering most Android flagships. Integrates CPU, GPU, NPU, modem, and ISP. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 co

Quantum Computing

Uses qubits instead of classical bits. Superposition and entanglement allow solving certain problems exponentially faste

Quantum Supremacy

A quantum computer solving a problem infeasible for classical computers. Google claimed it in 2019 with Sycamore. Debate

Quantum bit — the basic unit of quantum computing. Unlike bits (0 or 1), qubits can be in superposition of both states s

Android notification shade toggles for Wi-Fi Bluetooth

Random Access Memory — fast volatile memory. Running programs live in RAM. DDR5 is the current standard. 16GB minimum fo

OS allocating memory to apps. Kills background apps when needed.

Rendering technique simulating how light bounces in real environments. Realistic reflections, shadows, and lighting. NVI

Meta's framework for building native mobile apps with React and JavaScript. Bridges to native components. Widely adopted

Back-facing primary camera for photography

Special boot mode for device troubleshooting and factory reset

How many times per second a display updates its image. 60Hz standard, 120Hz premium, 240Hz gaming. Higher rates = smooth

Optimized app version for distribution. Minified, no debug info.

Controlling computer from mobile device. Chrome Remote Desktop.

Erasing device data remotely when lost or stolen

App interface adapting to screen sizes. Phones, tablets, foldables.

Apple high pixel density display marketing term

An open-source instruction set architecture (ISA). Free to implement, no licensing fees. Growing alternative to ARM. Use

A strategic plan defining a product's vision, direction, and progress over time. Prioritizes features by impact and effo

A field combining mechanical engineering, electronics, and software to create robots. Industrial, surgical, and humanoid

Root Access (Mobile)

Admin privileges on Android. Custom modifications. Security risk.

Durable device rated for drops dust and water

Runtime Permission

Permission requested when needed, not at install. Android 6+.

Satellite Communication

Direct satellite messaging from mobile devices

Screen Protector

Glass or film shield protecting device display

Screen Recording

Capturing device screen as video. Built into iOS and Android. Used for tutorials, bug reports, and content creation. OBS

Display diagonal measurement in inches

Ratio of display area to total front surface

Capturing current screen as image. Power+Volume Down, gesture.

An agile framework for project management with defined roles (PO, Scrum Master, Dev Team), events (sprints, dailies), an

Software Development Kit. Tools for building apps. Android SDK, iOS SDK.

Apple's dedicated security chip storing biometric data and encryption keys. Isolated from main processor. Touch ID, Face

Front-facing camera optimized for self-portraits

Combining multiple sensor data. Accelerometer + gyroscope + magnetometer.

System configuration application. Wi-Fi, display, accounts, privacy.

Installing apps outside official store. APK on Android, enterprise iOS.

Subscriber Identity Module. Identifies carrier account. Nano-SIM, eSIM.

Low-power device state. Screen off, background limited.

High frame rate video capture at 240fps or 960fps

Smart Assistant

AI helper. Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa. Voice commands.

Self-executing code on the blockchain that runs when conditions are met. Ethereum and Solana support smart contracts. Fo

Screen-equipped smart speaker like Echo Show

Connected home ecosystem with automated devices. Lights, locks, thermostats, cameras, and speakers. HomeKit, Alexa, Goog

Finger-worn wearable for health tracking like Oura Ring

Voice-controlled speaker. HomePod, Echo, Nest Audio.

Touchscreen mobile computer running iOS or Android

Wrist-worn computer. Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch. Health, notifications.

System on a Chip — integrating CPU, GPU, NPU, modem, and more on one chip. Apple M4, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and Me

3D sound that adapts to head position. AirPods with head tracking, Dolby Atmos, and Sony 360 Reality Audio. Creates imme

Spatial Computing

Computing in 3D space using AR/VR. Apple Vision Pro defines the category. Interact with digital content in physical spac

Running two apps simultaneously. Android multi-window, iPad Split View.

A fixed period (usually 1-2 weeks) in Scrum during which the team completes a defined set of tasks. Includes planning, d

A self-contained, file-based relational database. No server needed. Embedded in every smartphone, browser, and most appl

Solid State Drive — storage without moving parts. NVMe PCIe 4.0/5.0 reaches 7,000+ MB/s. Much faster than HDD. Samsung a

Top of screen showing time, battery, connectivity. System icons.

Storage (Mobile)

Device data capacity. 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB. UFS flash.

Streaming (Mobile)

Real-time media delivery. Netflix, Spotify, YouTube. Adaptive bitrate.

Lower 5G frequency band with wide coverage moderate speed

The base material on which semiconductor circuits are built. Silicon wafer is the standard substrate. Advanced packaging

Samsung enhanced OLED display technology vibrant efficient

Multi-channel audio like 5.1 or 7.1 or Dolby Atmos

Apple's modern programming language for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Safe, fast, and expressive. Replaced Objective-C

Apple's declarative UI framework. Describe what the interface should look like, not how to build it. Live previews, auto

OS version upgrade. Feature and security updates.

System-on-Module

SoM — a small board with processor, memory, and storage as a complete computer. Raspberry Pi Compute Module and NVIDIA J

SoC design integrating all computer components on a single chip. Apple M4 includes CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, memory contr

Large-screen mobile device. iPad, Galaxy Tab. Productivity and media.

Thermal Design Power — the maximum heat a chip generates under load, measured in watts. Guides cooling system design. 65

Voice calling capabilities. VoLTE, Wi-Fi Calling. Carrier services.

Long focal length lens for 3x or 5x optical zoom

Google custom mobile SoC with AI-focused design

Specialized processing units in NVIDIA GPUs for matrix operations. Accelerate AI training and inference by 10-20x over s

Apple beta testing platform. Distribute pre-release iOS apps.

Thermal Management

Controlling device temperature. Throttling, heat pipes, vapor chambers.

A low-power mesh networking protocol for smart home devices. Works with Matter. Self-healing network where devices relay

Intel's high-speed connection standard. Thunderbolt 4 delivers 40Gbps, Thunderbolt 5 up to 120Gbps. Connects displays, s

Sensor measuring distance using light travel time

Apple fingerprint authentication. Home button or power button sensor.

Three rear cameras wide ultra-wide and telephoto

Intel technology increasing clock speed under load. Thermal headroom.

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface — modern BIOS replacement. Supports disks >2TB, Secure Boot, graphical interface,

Universal Flash Storage — high-speed storage standard for mobile devices. UFS 4.0 reaches 4,200 MB/s. Faster than eMMC.

Pre-built UI component library. UIKit (iOS), Material Components (Android).

Ultra-Wide Lens

Very wide angle camera lens 120 degrees or more

UWB — radio technology for precise spatial awareness. AirTag and Samsung SmartTag use UWB for centimeter-level tracking.

Under-Display Camera

Camera hidden behind screen with no notch or hole

Removing device lock. PIN, pattern, biometric. Also: carrier unlock.

Android developer feature. Connect to computer for debugging.

USB Power Delivery

USB PD — protocol enabling up to 240W charging over USB-C. Negotiates voltage and current between charger and device. On

Universal connector standard replacing USB-A, Micro-USB, and Lightning. Reversible plug, supports data, charging, and vi

The latest USB standard unifying USB and Thunderbolt. 40-80 Gbps bandwidth. USB-C connector. Backwards compatible. Tunne

Visual elements users interact with. Buttons, lists, navigation.

Variable Refresh Rate

VRR — display technology matching refresh rate to content frame rate. Eliminates screen tearing without input lag. G-Syn

Portrait device orientation default for phone use

Vibration Motor

Hardware creating haptic feedback. Linear actuator, ERM motor.

Real-time video communication. FaceTime, Google Meet, Zoom.

Virtual Reality

VR replaces the real world with an immersive digital environment. Meta Quest, PlayStation VR, and Valve Index. Gaming, t

Controlling device by speaking. Hey Siri, OK Google.

Voltage Regulator

Component controlling power delivery to processor

Voice over LTE — HD voice calls over 4G network.

Adjusting audio levels. Physical buttons, on-screen slider.

Google's royalty-free video codec. Better compression than H.264, widely supported. YouTube uses VP9 for most playback.

A thin disk of semiconductor material (silicon) on which integrated circuits are fabricated. 300mm wafers are standard.

Phrase activating voice assistant like Hey Siri or OK Google

Hardware timer restarting system if software hangs. Reliability.

IP68 rated device submersible to specified depth and time

Google's smartwatch platform. Formerly Android Wear.

Wearable electronic devices: smartwatches (Apple Watch), fitness trackers, smart glasses. Monitor health, fitness, and n

A vision of decentralized internet based on blockchain. Digital ownership, DAOs, DeFi, and identity. Intense debate abou

Next-generation browser API for GPU computing and graphics. Successor to WebGL. Exposes modern GPU features. Enables ML

A browser component embedded in a native app to display web content. Hybrid apps use WebViews extensively. Native perfor

Extension of Wi-Fi 6 into the 6GHz band. More channels, less interference, lower latency. Ideal for dense environments.

IEEE 802.11be — the latest Wi-Fi standard. Up to 46Gbps, 320MHz channels, multi-link operation. Dramatically reduces lat

Wide Angle Lens

Standard main camera approximately 26mm equivalent

Widget (Mobile)

App content on home screen without opening app. Weather, calendar.

Microsoft's OS, dominant on desktop (72% market share). WSL2 allows running Linux natively. PowerShell and Terminal impr

Wireless Charging

Qi standard inductive charging. Place device on pad.

Wireless Earbuds

Bluetooth earphones without wire like AirPods

x86 Architecture

The dominant desktop and server processor architecture by Intel and AMD. CISC design with decades of software compatibil

Apple's IDE for iOS/macOS development. Swift, SwiftUI, Interface Builder.

Image magnification optical lossless or digital crop-based

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