New APIs are now available for developers to benefit from

Dec 17, 2011 15:21 GMT  ·  By

Google has just made available for download a new flavor of its Android operating system, namely Android 4.0.3, which is currently rolling out on Nexus S smartphones around the world, and also made available a new set of tools for developers to take advantage of.

The new Android 4.0.3 is an incremental update for the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform, and comes with various optimizations and fixes on devices, Google announces.

In addition to these, the new platform version was meant to introduce a new set of APIs for developers. Following the release, API level has been brought up to 15.

The Mountain View-based company also announced that it will make the new Android 4.0.3 OS flavor the base version of Ice Cream Sandwich going forward.

This means that it will deliver the new release to all production phones and tablet PCs out there during the next few weeks, which means that developers should check to see whether their applications are indeed compatible with the new platform or not.

Some of the new APIs that have been included in the Android 4.0.3 platform would be:

Social stream API in Contacts provider: Applications that use social stream data such as status updates and check-ins can now sync that data with each of the user’s contacts, providing items in a stream along with photos for each. This new API lets apps show users what the people they know are doing or saying, in addition to their photos and contact information.

Calendar provider enhancements. Apps can now add color to events, for easier tracking, and new attendee types and states are now available. New camera capabilities. Apps can now check and manage video stabilization and use QVGA resolution profiles where needed.

Accessibility refinements. Improved content access for screen readers and new status and error reporting for text-to-speech engines.

Incremental improvements in graphics, database, spell-checking, Bluetooth, and more.

Developers should also take into consideration the fact that a new version of the SDK Tools (r16) is now available for download, and that the Eclipse plug-in was also updated (ADT 16.0.1). Moreover, Google updated the NDK to r7.

Those who would like to learn more info on what the new Android 4.0.3 platform version is all about should head over to the Android Developers website. The full list of APIs added to the new OS version, as well as details on them, can be found in the Android 4.0.3 API Overview page on the said website.