Android ROM and rooting dictionary for beginners

Diving into the world of rooting and modding your Android phone or tablet can feel like an overwhelming endeavor. Open a forum thread with some instructions and you’ll find yourself staring at all sorts of strange words and confusing combinations of letters. ROMs, Kernels, Nandroids, TAR images…what does it all mean?! We’re here to help! Below you’ll find the newb’s dictionary to the strange language of modding/hacking. This is not intended to be a technical definition of each concept, but an easy to understand explanation for the average Joe.

Get reading after the break:

Nexus 10 toolkit now available for all your rooting needs

The Nexus 10 may not be selling as well as LG’s Nexus 4, but that hasn’t detracted from its surmountable capabilities. A little more than a week after making its global debut, the Nexus 10 has received a fully functional root toolkit.

This custom toolkit will allow users to easily root the Nexus 10, as well as perform various root-related functions like unlocking your bootloader, backing up system partitions and installing USB drivers, all without a need to touch that often-feared command line. It’s a fantastic tool for those who are new to rooting their device, or simply want to save valuable time.

Be sure to check out the full list of features, as well as the official download at the source link below. Before proceeding, ensure that you read the instructions at least twice before initiating the rooting process. Godspeed, friends.

Android 4.1.2 Update For Samsung Galaxy Note Speculated To Feature TouchWiz Nature UI And Multi-Window, Video Surfaces Adding Further Speculation

As original Galaxy Note owners eagerly await the possible arrival of Jelly Bean 4.1.2 on their devices, we are now beginning to see signs of which custom features will be found in the update. Similar to the Galaxy Note II smartphone and the incoming Android 4.1.2 update due to for the Galaxy S III next month, the original Galaxy Note will include the awesome TouchWiz Nature UI and the multi-window feature, allowing for true multitasking and the ability to use multiple apps at once on the Galaxy Note.

To corroborate this news is the surfacing of not one, but two preliminary Jelly Bean builds being spotted in the wild for the Galaxy Note. The first build has a firmware version of N7000XXLS3 and is currently being tested at Samsung bringing not only the TouchWiz Nature UI and multi-window feature; the second build has a firmware version of N7000XXLS7 which not only highlights the same mentioned custom Sammy features, but actually has video footage of those features in action. Of course Sammy has stayed mum on whether or not this evidence is actually factual or not, but considering these builds are unlike anything we’ve ever seen before— we’re willing to bet that these are not only authentic— but that we’ll likely see the Jelly Bean 4.1.2 updates announced for the Galaxy Note sooner than later.

source: SamMobile 1 | SamMobile 2 | YouTube

Crafty User Successfully Ports Chrome OS Onto Nexus 7 Tablet

It’s no secret that that new Samsung Chromebook is one sweet little toy, especially since it features that awesome Chrome OS. But don’t you get the idea that the awesome Chrome OS would be even more awesome on our tablets instead of Jelly Bean? Well that’s what a crafty indie developer Hexxeh believed and took it upon himself to create a fully functional port of Chrome OS onto his Nexus 7 tablet.  Now while the port has its fair share of bugs and is incomplete at this time, you can clearly see in the video below that it does in fact work— and pretty well at that with the Nexus 7 and connected keyboard.

Naturally the port isn’t ready for anyone yet, but the fact that it’s in the wild makes way for big optimism for the cool OS appearing on not just Nexus 7 owners, but tablet owners everywhere.