Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Ice Cream Sandwich

4.0.1

The Galaxy Nexus introducedAndroid 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Android 4.0 – codenamed Ice CreamSandwich – was previewed at the May 2011 Google I/O event, and officiallylaunched at the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich release event on 19 October2011. The SDK for Android 4.0.1 was publicly released on 19 October 2011.Google's Gabe Cohen stated that ICS was "theoretically compatible"with any Android 2.3.x device in production at that time. The source code forICS became available on 14 November 2011, three days before the Galaxy Nexuswas released. New features included

    Enhanced speed and performance

    Virtual buttons in the UI, in place ofcapacitive or physical buttons

    Separation of widgets in a new tab, listedin a similar manner to apps

    Easier-to-create folders, with adrag-and-drop style

    A customizable launcher

    Improved visual voicemail with the abilityto speed up or slow down voicemail messages

    Pinch-to-zoom functionality in the calendar

    Offline search, a two-line preview, and newaction bar at the bottom of the Gmail app

    Ability to swipe left or right to switchbetween Gmail conversations

    Integrated screenshot capture (accomplishedby holding down the Power and Volume-Down buttons)

    Improved error correction on the keyboard

    Ability to access apps directly from lockscreen (similar to HTC Sense 3.x)

    Improved copy and paste functionality

    Better voice integration and continuous,real-time speech to text dictation

    Face Unlock, a feature that allows users tounlock handsets using facial recognition software

    New tabbed web browser, allowing up to 16tabs

    Automatic syncing of browser with users'Chrome bookmarks

    Modern Roboto font

    Data Usage section in settings that letsusers set warnings when they approach a certain usage limit, and disable datause when the limit is exceeded

    Ability to shut down apps that are usingdata in the background

    Improved camera app with zero shutter lag,time lapse settings, panorama mode, and the ability to zoom while recording

    Built-in photo editor

    New gallery layout, organized by locationand person

    Refreshed 'People' app with social networkintegration, status updates and hi-res images

    Android Beam, a near-field communicationfeature allowing the rapid short-range exchange of web bookmarks, contact info,directions, YouTube videos and other data

    Hardware acceleration of the UI

    Resizeable widgets – already part ofAndroid 3.1 for tablets, but new for cellphones

    Wi-Fi Direct

    1080p video recording for stock Androiddevices

 4.0.2

The Android 4.0.2 update wasreleased on 28 November 2011, and fixed minor bugs on the Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

 4.1.0

The Android 4.1.0 update wasreleased on 1 December 2011, and included a new radio feature.

Android Honeycomb

Honeycomb.

3.0

The Motorola Xoom tabletintroduced Android 3.0.1 Honeycomb.

On 22 February 2011, the Android3.0 (Honeycomb) SDK – the first tablet-only Android update – was released,based on Linux kernel 2.6.36.  The firstdevice featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom tablet, was released on 24February 2011. Changes included

 

    Optimized tablet support with a new virtualand “holographic” user interface

    Added System Bar, featuring quick access tonotifications, status, and soft navigation buttons, available at the bottom ofthe screen

    Added Action Bar, giving access tocontextual options, navigation, widgets, or other types of content at the topof the screen

    Multitasking support - tapping Recent Appsin the System Bar allows users to see snapshots of the tasks underway andquickly jump from one app to another

    Redesigned keyboard, making typing fast,efficient and accurate on larger screen sizes

    Simplified, more intuitive copy/pasteinterface

    Multiple browser tabs replacing browserwindows, plus form auto-fill and a new “incognito” mode allowing anonymousbrowsing

    Quick access to camera exposure, focus,flash, zoom, front-facing camera, time-lapse, and more

    Ability to view albums and othercollections in full-screen mode in Gallery, with easy access to thumbnails forother photos

    New two-pane Contacts UI and Fast Scroll tolet users easily organize and locate contacts

    New two-pane Email UI to make viewing andorganizing messages more efficient, allowing users to select one or moremessages

    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 10May 2011. Changes included:

    UI refinements

    Connectivity for USB accessories

    Expanded Recent Apps list

    Resizable Home screen widgets

    Support for external keyboards and pointingdevices

    Support for joysticks and gamepads

    Support for FLAC audio playback

    High-performance Wi-Fi lock, maintaininghigh-performance Wi-Fi connections when device screen is off

    Support for HTTP proxy for each connectedWi-Fi access point

 3.2

The 3.2 SDK was released on 15July 2011,[50] first appearing on Huawei's MediaPad tablet. Changes included:

    Improved hardware support, includingoptimisations for a wider range of tablets

    Increased ability of apps to access fileson the SD card, e.g. for synchronisation

    Compatibility display mode for apps thathave not been optimized for tablet screen resolutions

    New display support functions, givingdevelopers more control over display appearance on different Android devices

 3.2.1

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

    Bug fixes and minor security, stability andWi-Fi improvements

    Update to Android Market with automaticupdates 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 on30 August 2011, and included bug fixes and other minor improvements for theMotorola Xoom 4G.

Android Gingerbread

Gingerbread

2.3

On 6 December 2010, the Android2.3 (Gingerbread) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.35. Changesincluded

    Updated user interface design with increasedsimplicity and speed

    Support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions(WXGA and higher)

    Native support for SIP VoIP internettelephony

    Faster, more intuitive text input invirtual keyboard, with improved accuracy, better suggested text and voice inputmode

    Enhanced copy/paste functionality, allowingusers to select a word by press-hold, copy, and paste

    Support for Near Field Communication (NFC),allowing the user read an NFC tag embedded in a poster, sticker, or advertisement

    New audio effects such as reverb,equalization, headphone virtualization, and bass boost

    New Download Manager, giving users easyaccess to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another application

    Support for multiple cameras on the device,including a front-facing camera, if available

    Support for WebM/VP8 video playback, andAAC audio encoding

    Improved power management with a moreactive role in managing apps that are keeping the device awake for too long

    Enhanced support for native codedevelopment

    Switched from YAFFS to ext4 on newer devices

    Audio, graphical, and input enhancementsfor game developers

    Concurrent garbage collection for increasedperformance

    Native support for more sensors (such asgyroscopes and barometers)

 2.3.3

Released on 9 February 2011,Android 2.3.3 included several improvements and API fixes.

 2.3.4

Version 2.3.4 introduced supportfor voice or video chat using Google Talk.

 2.3.5

Released on 25 July 2011, Android2.3.5 included a number of amendments

    Improved network performance for the NexusS 4G, among other fixes and improvements

    Fixed Bluetooth bug on Samsung Galaxy S

    Improved Gmail application

    Shadow animations for list scrolling

    Camera software enhancements

    Improved battery efficiency

 2.3.6

This version fixed a voice searchbug.

 2.3.7

Android 2.3.7 introduced GoogleWallet support for the Nexus S 4G.

Android Froyo

Froyo

2.2

On 20 May 2010, the Android 2.2(Froyo) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.32. Its features included:

    Speed, memory, and performanceoptimizations

    Additional application speed improvements,implemented through JIT compilation

    Integration of Chrome's V8 JavaScriptengine into the Browser application

    Support for the Android Cloud to DeviceMessaging (C2DM) service, enabling push notifications

    Improved Microsoft Exchange support,including security policies, auto-discovery, GAL look-up, calendarsynchronization and remote wipe

    Improved application launcher withshortcuts to Phone and Browser applications

    USB tethering and Wi-Fi hotspotfunctionality

    Added an option to disable data access overmobile network

    Updated Market application with batch andautomatic update features

    Quick switching between multiple keyboardlanguages and their dictionaries

    Voice dialing and contact sharing overBluetooth

    Support for numeric and alphanumericpasswords

    Support for file upload fields in theBrowser application

    Support for installing applications to theexpandable memory

    Adobe Flash support

    Support for extra-high-PPI screens (320ppi), such as 4" 720p

 

 2.2.1

The Android 2.2.1 update wasreleased on 18 January 2011, and included a number of bug fixes, securityupdates, and performance improvements.

 2.2.2

The Android 2.2.2 update wasreleased on 22 January 2011, and fixed minor bugs, including SMS rooting issuesthat affected the Nexus One.

 2.2.3

The Android 2.2.3 update wasreleased on 21 November 2011, and consisted of two security patches.

Andrid Eclair

2.0

The Motorola Droid introducedAndroid 2.0.

On 26 October 2009, the Android2.0 SDK – codenamed Eclair – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29.Changes included

    Expanded Account sync, allowing multipleaccounts to be added to a device for email and contact synchronization

    Exchange email support, with combined inboxto browse email from multiple accounts in one page

    Bluetooth 2.1 support

    Ability to tap a Contacts photo and selectto call, SMS, or email the person

    Ability to search all saved SMS and MMSmessages, with delete oldest messages in a conversation automatically deletedwhen a defined limit is reached

    Numerous new camera features, including flashsupport, digital zoom, scene mode, white balance, color effect and macro focus

    Improved typing speed on virtual keyboard,with smarter dictionary that learns from word usage and includes contact namesas suggestions

    Refreshed browser UI with bookmarkthumbnails, double-tap zoom and support for HTML5

    Calendar agenda view enhanced, showingattending status for each invitee, and ability to invite new guests to events

    Optimized hardware speed and revamped UI

    Support for more screen sizes andresolutions, with better contrast ratio

    Improved Google Maps 3.1.2

    MotionEvent class enhanced to trackmulti-touch events

Additionof live wallpapers, allowing Home screen background images to be animated toshow movement

 2.0.1

The Android 2.0.1 SDK was releasedon 3 December 2009. It was a minor platform release deployable toAndroid-powered handsets, including minor API changes, bug fixes and frameworkbehavioral changes.

 2.1

The 2.1 SDK was released on 12January 2010. It was a minor platform release deployable to Android-poweredhandsets, including minor amendments to the API and bug fixes.