Part of big announcements from Google during the Android-specific keynote at Google I/O is the Android Honeycomb 3.1. On this first major upgrade to the Android tablet OS, Google brings some tweaks and optimizations over the Android 3.0. These are include resizable homescreen widgets and USB host functionality that will give users ability to plug in their digital camera and transfer file directly to their tablet or even use mice, keyboards, and game controllers. Another enhancements including more robust multi-tasking and app-switching mechanism for more fluid transitions and reduced crashes.
Let’s take a look at the Android Honeycomb 3.1 new features highlights from Android Developers blog for users and developers below.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Resizable Home screen widgets. Developers can now create Home screen widgets that are resizeable horizontally, vertically, or both.
- 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.
- 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.
The Android Honeycomb 3.1 is now being seeded to the Verizon-bound 3G version of the Motorola XOOM and should be followed by other devices including Google TV with Android Market support coming this summer.
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[...] Android Honeycomb 3.1 which was announced couple of weeks ago, now has 0.3% share of the distribution indicates that a number of Android Honeycomb tablets have been upgraded to the Android 3.1. While the number of Android 2.2 and newer is increasing, we can see that the older versions including Android 2.1, Android 1.6 and Android 1.5 are slowly decreased. However, the Android 2.1 upgrade for Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 which was released few days ago could possibly change this number on the next chart later on. [...]