Google I/O 2011 – Today Google released the Android 3.1 Honeycomb. Android 3.1 is an incremental update to the Android 3.0, an Android version optimized for Tablets. The features added to this update is incredible making Honeycomb more refined.
From the developers blog, here are the features added with its explanation:
- Open Accessory API. This new API provides a way for Android applications to integrate and interact with a wide range of accessories such as musical equipment, exercise equipment, robotics systems, and many others.
- Input from mice, joysticks, and gamepads. Android 3.1 extends the input event system to support a variety of new input sources and motion events such as from mice, trackballs, joysticks, gamepads, and others.
- USB host API. On devices that support USB host mode, applications can now manage connected USB peripherals such as audio devices. input devices, communications devices, and more.
- Resizable Home screen widgets. Developers can now create Home screen widgets that are resizeable horizontally, vertically, or both.
- Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) API for audio. Developers can directly manage on-demand or interactive data streaming to enable VOIP, push-to-talk, conferencing, and audio streaming.
- Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) Applications can now receive notifications when external cameras are attached and removed, manage files and storage on those devices, and transfer files and metadata to and from them.
For more details check this Android 3.1 Highlights.
Google said that this is just an incremental update but this is a major update in my opinion giving this Tablet OS more features and enhancement. The first tablet to get the taste of the Android 3.1 is VZW Motorola Xoom and other vendors will update their Android 3.0 in coming weeks.
Source: Android Developers Blog
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