Android 3.x Honeycomb

On 22 February 2011, the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) SDK – the first tablet-only Android update – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.36. The first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom tablet, was released on 24 February 2011.Changes included:

Optimized tablet support with a new virtual and “holographic” user interface
Added System Bar, featuring quick access to notifications, status, and soft navigation buttons, available at the bottom of the screen
Added Action Bar, giving access to contextual options, navigation, widgets, or other types of content at the top of the screen
Multitasking support - tapping Recent Apps in the System Bar allows users to see snapshots of the tasks underway and quickly jump from one app to another
Redesigned keyboard, making typing fast, efficient and accurate on larger screen sizes
Simplified, more intuitive copy/paste interface
Multiple browser tabs replacing browser windows, plus form auto-fill and a new “incognito” mode allowing anonymous browsing
Quick access to camera exposure, focus, flash, zoom, front-facing camera, time-lapse, and more
Ability to view albums and other collections in full-screen mode in Gallery, with easy access to thumbnails for other photos
New two-pane Contacts UI and Fast Scroll to let users easily organize and locate contacts
New two-pane Email UI to make viewing and organizing messages more efficient, allowing users to select one or more messages
Support for video chat using Google Talk
Hardware acceleration
Support for multi-core processors
Ability to encrypt all user data

3.1

The 3.1 SDK was released on 10 May 2011.Changes included:

UI refinements
Connectivity for USB accessories
Expanded Recent Apps list
Resizable Home screen widgets
Support for external keyboards and pointing devices
Support for joysticks and gamepads
Support for FLAC audio playback
High-performance Wi-Fi lock, maintaining high-performance Wi-Fi connections when device screen is off
Support for HTTP proxy for each connected Wi-Fi access point

3.2

The 3.2 SDK was released on 15 July 2011. Huawei's MediaPad was the first tablet to use this version.Changes included:

Improved hardware support, including optimisations for a wider range of tablets
Easier access for apps to files on the SD card, e.g. for synchronisation
Compatibility display mode for apps that have not yet been optimized for tablet screen resolutions
New display support functions that give developers more control over the look and feel on different Android devices

3.2.1

The Android 3.2.1 update was released on 20 September 2011, and included a number of amendments:

Bug fixes and minor security, stability and Wi-Fi improvements
Update to Android Market with automatic updates and easier-to-read Terms and Condition text
Update to Android Market app, allowing it to update on its own
Update to Google Books
Browser with Adobe Flash improvement
Improved Chinese handwriting prediction