A Tech Word List

Some words appear again and again across the hub's articles. Rather than define them in every guide, this list keeps short, plain explanations in one place, with a link to the article where each term matters most.

Phones and apps

App cache

Temporary files an app stores to load faster. Clearing it is usually safe because the app rebuilds it; see fixing apps that keep closing.

Offloading

Removing an app's program from an iPhone while keeping its documents and data, so it can be reinstalled later; explained in the offloading guide.

Data roaming

Using a foreign mobile network for internet access while abroad, often billed separately from your home allowance; covered in avoiding roaming charges.

eSIM

A SIM profile stored digitally inside the phone instead of on a plastic card, handy for adding a travel data plan.

Wi-Fi calling

Placing ordinary phone calls over a Wi-Fi connection rather than the mobile network.

IPTV

Television delivered over an internet connection, usually through an app or set-top box; compared with cable in the IPTV and cable comparison.

Design and video

SVG

Scalable Vector Graphics, a format that describes shapes with coordinates so images stay sharp at any size; see browser SVG editing.

LUT

A lookup table that maps input colours to output colours, used for colour grading; explained in the LUT primer.

Log profile

A flat, low-contrast camera recording mode that keeps extra highlight and shadow detail for grading later.

Mood board

A collage of images, colours and type that sets a project's visual direction; see making a mood board.

Business and insurance

SOP

Standard operating procedure: written steps for a routine task so it is done the same way each time; see the SOP explainer.

SKU

Stock keeping unit, a short code that identifies one product or variant in an inventory record.

Reorder point

The stock level at which a new order should be placed so it arrives before shelves run empty; covered in inventory management.

Waiting period

The time between a policy starting and certain claims becoming possible; see pet insurance waiting periods.

First-party and third-party cover

Insurance for your own losses versus insurance for claims others make against you; both appear in cyber cover for small firms.

Bridging loan

Short-term borrowing that covers a gap between buying one property and selling another.

Home and garden

Boundary wire

A thin cable pegged around a lawn that tells a robot mower where to turn; see how robot mowers work.

Dusk sensor

The part of a solar or outdoor light that detects falling daylight and switches the lamp on.

Watt-hour (Wh)

A measure of how much energy a battery stores, used by airlines to set power bank limits.

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