Android 3.2 Honeycomb is Official
July 23, 2011 in Firmware, News
Android 3.2 Honeycomb, the latest version of Google’s open-source operating system, is now officially released. Motorola has already begun rolling the new OS out on its Xoom tablet. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, Acer’s Iconia Tab 500 and Toshiba’s Thrive are expected to follow shortly.
The upgrade marks an improvement on Android 3.1 rather than the revolutionary breakthrough expected when Android 4.0, known as Ice Cream Sandwich, combines the best of Honeycomb and Gingerbread. That release is expected before the end of the year.
The main benefit of Android 3.2 is its screen scalability. The OS is aimed primarily for use on tablets, and developers can now better target a range of screen sizes that include seven-inch models as well as ten-inch devices. A new “zoom-to-fill” screen mode scales pixels to match the screen size so that an app’s sharpness remains the same regardless of the device while still allowing users to focus on the most important elements on the screen.
Other features include the ability to load files directly from the SD card and, for developers, an extended screen support API that provides greater control over the user interface. Many of Google’s own apps, including Movie Studio, Movies, Music and Widget, will benefit directly from improvements in the OS.
Android 3.2 also brings along improved hardware acceleration and optimized performance to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors and that is likely to help entrench the manufacturer’s position as the chip of choice for Android devices.
The question for users though is how many of these benefits they’ll actually see. It’s rare enough for even a new smartphone to ship with a version of Android later than Froyo, a version of the operating system already four updates behind.
Tablet manufacturers might want to get the latest version of an operating system designed for their devices rolled out as quickly as possible but many developers are surely likely to wait before optimizing their apps to work on a version of Android that’s likely to be outdated before the year’s end.
One of the biggest challenges that Android faces as it battles for market share against iOS and increasingly Windows 7 is its fragmentation. Releasing an incremental update shortly before a complete change might not be the best strategy — although it hasn’t stopped Apple from doing the same.
Source here.
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