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 are listed below.
3.0
- 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.[48] 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[49][50]
- 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,[51] first appearing on Huawei's MediaPad tablet. Changes included:
- Improved hardware support, including optimisations for a wider range of tablets
- Increased ability of apps to access files on the SD card, e.g. for synchronisation
- Compatibility display mode for apps that have not been optimized for tablet screen resolutions
- New display support functions, giving developers more control over display appearance 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 Google Books
- Improved Adobe Flash support in browser
- Improved Chinese handwriting prediction
3.2.2
The 3.2.2 update was released on 30 August 2011, and included bug fixes and other minor improvements for the Motorola Xoom 4G.