Osama bin Laden Killed

Osama bin Laden, hunted as the mastermind behind the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, has been killed, President Obama announced tonight.
The president called the killing of bin Laden the "most significant achievement to date" in the effort to defeat al Qaeda.
"Justice has been done," Obama said.
Bin Laden was located at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, which was monitored and when the time was determined to be right, the president said, he authorized a "targeted operation."
"A small team of Americans carried out the operation," Obama said. "After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."
DNA testing confirmed that it was bin Laden, sources told ABC News.
Obama said tonight that he was briefed last August on a possible but "far from certain" lead to bin Laden, but it took many months for the intelligence community to "run this thread to ground."
"I met repeatedly with my National Security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located Bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside Pakistan," the president said.
"Finally, last week I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action and authorized an operation to get Osama Bin Laden and bring him to justice," he said.
Sources said the attack was carried out by Joint Special Operations Command forces working with the CIA.

 

Vice President Biden briefed Republican congressional leaders this evening on the operation, which had been kept secret until shortly before the president's announcement tonight.
Former President George W. Bush said in a statement tonight that Obama called him to inform him of the news of bin Laden's death.
Bush called the operation a "momentous achievement" that "marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001.
"I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission. They have our everlasting gratitude," the former president said in a statement. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done."
Outside the White House, a crowd of about 200 people has gathered with American flags. They are singing the Star Spangled banner and chanting "USA USA"
This major development in the war on terror comes just days after Obama announced significant changes to his national security team.
Last week the president announced that CIA Director Leon Panetta will replace Secretary of Defense Robert Gates when he retires this summer. Gen. David Petraeus, the nation's most high-profile soldier, will become the head of the CIA.
In addition to overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Petraeus, a four-star general, is the head of the U.S. Central Command, where his portfolio includes some of the world's most critical hotspots, including Yemen and Pakistan.
Bin Laden's death brings to an end a tumultuous life that saw him go from being the carefree son of a Saudi billionaire, to terrorist leader and the most wanted man in the world.
Bin Laden created and funded the al Qaeda terror network, which was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The Saudi exile had been a man on the run since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan overthrew the ruling Taliban regime, which harbored bin Laden.
In a video filmed two months after the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden gloated about the attack, saying it had exceeded even his "optimistic" calculations.
"Our terrorism is against America. Our terrorism is a blessed terrorism to prevent the unjust person from committing injustice and to stop American support for Israel, which kills our sons," he said in the video.
Long before the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden was known as an enemy of the United States. He was suspected of playing large roles in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. Embassies in Africa and the attack on the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in October 2000.
In addition, authorities say bin Laden and his al Qaeda network were involved in previous attacks against U.S. interests -- including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, failed plots to kill President Clinton and the pope, and attacks on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and Somalia.
Bin Laden also used his millions to bankroll terrorist training camps in Sudan, the Philippines and Afghanistan, sending "holy warriors" to foment revolution and fight with fundamentalist Muslim forces across North Africa, in Chechnya, Tajikistan and Bosnia.
Until the capture of one of his top al Qaeda lieutenants in March 2003, there had been no confirmation of his whereabouts -- or even that he was still alive -- since late 2001, when he appeared in a series of videotapes later released to news organizations.
In recent years, several audio recordings of bin Laden have been authenticated by U.S. officials and made public. In an 18-minute videotape weeks before the 2004 U.S. presidential election, bin Laden threatened fresh attacks on the United States as well as his intent to push America into bankruptcy.

 Data Source :
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-killed/story?id=13505703&page=2

Windows 7 Tips

• Free Resources and Tools to Plan and Deploy Windows 7
  Ready to roll out Windows 7 in your organization? Here are some essential tools and resources to help you plan, customize, and streamline Windows 7 deployments.
  
  
• Disable Aero Snap (and Switch Among Open Windows More Quickly)
  Windows 7 automatically snaps a window to a certain size and position when you drag its title bar, but this feature can be disabled. Here’s how. (And discover another option that changes how open windows become active.)
  
  
• Understand (and Get Rid of) the Mysterious Small Partition
  You may have noticed that a small System Reserved partirtion is created when you install Windows 7. Here’s a look at what it's for and a workaround to get rid of it.
  
  
• Understand and Manage the RACAgent Scheduled Task
  RACAgent is a hidden task that is automatically configured when you install Windows 7. Find out what RACAgent does, how to manage it, and how you can disable it.
  
  
• Create a New Partition on a Windows 7 Hard Disk
  Here's an easy way to create a new partition on a Windows 7 disk.
  
  
• Easily Shrink a Volume on a Windows 7 Disk
  Here's an easy way to shrink a volume on a Windows 7 hard disk.
  
  
• Using Group Policy to Configure Wireless Network Settings
  In an Active Directory Domain Services environment, you can use Group Policy to configure wireless network settings. But you’ll need to do a little tweaking. Here’s what you need to know.
  
  
• Configure Network Map Settings throughout Your Environment
  Learn how the Network Map feature works and discover Group Policy settings you can use to control network mapping on systems in your environment.
  
  
• Manage Icons that Display in the Windows 7 Notification Area
  Windows 7 provides a single interface for controlling what icons are displayed in the notification area. Here’s what you need to know.
  
  
• Use WMI Control to Manage Windows Management Instrumentation
  Get an overview of working with WMI Control to configure and manage Windows Management Instrumentation on local and remote Windows 7 systems.
  
  
• Troubleshoot Problems with the Windows Update Client
  Get step-by-step guidance on how to troubleshoot problems with a client that won’t correctly install updates.
  
  
• View Advanced System Information on a Remote Computer
  Here’s how you can quickly view advanced information about a remote computer without leaving your desk.
  
  
• Run (and Automate) Windows Defender from the Command Line
  Learn about the command-line executable that you can use to automate the use of Windows Defender from a batch program.
  
  
• Create and Save Custom Views for Windows 7 Event Viewer
  If you find yourself dealing with a persistently problematic program or device, here’s a handy tip that can help you streamline your troubleshooting.
  
  
• Set InPrivate Filtering for Internet Explorer to Enabled by Default
  Learn a Registry tweak that lets you set the InPrivate Filtering feature to be enabled by default whenever you launch Internet Explorer.
  
  
• Expand the Send To Menu for More Options
  Here's a shortcut to access more locations when using the right-click Send To option.
  
  
• Customize the Command Prompt in Windows 7
  Get a quick overview of how you can make the Command Prompt window work how you want it to work.
  
  
• Optimize How Windows 7 Runs 16-Bit and MS-DOS-Based Programs
  Discover how you can make 16-bit applications more responsive on Windows 7, and how you can prevent these older applications from crashing one another.
  
  
• Use Some (Relatively) Unknown Command-Line Switches for Disk Cleanup
  Learn about two cool command-line switches for Disk Cleanup that are relatively undocumented.
  
  
• Understand and Mange Windows Connect Now for Easy Wifi Configurations
  Discover how Windows Connect Now lets you easily configure guest wifi access, and learn how to manage Windows Connect Now options in your organization.
  
  
• Command-Line Options for Faster Access to Performance Data
  These five command-line options provide faster, convenient control of Performance Monitor.
  
  
• Find Hidden Info in the Windows Media Player Controls
  The playback controls at the bottom of Windows Media Player offer more info than is readily apparent.
  
  
• Display Administrative Tools on the Windows 7 Start Menu
  By default, the Administrative Tools menu is not displayed in Windows 7. Here’s how to add it back to the Start menu.
  
  
• Temporarily Change the OS Boot Sequence
  Here’s a fast way to change the boot sequence for just one restart on a system with multiple operating systems installed.
  
  
• Manage Windows 7 Power Options from the Command Line
  Get an overview of the most important parameters you should know for managing power options from the command prompt.
  
  
• Run Diagnostics to Check Your System for Memory Problems
  Do you suspect your computer has a memory problem that isn’t being automatically detected? If so, you can force a memory check using this tool.
  
  
• Examine File Extensions and File Associations in Windows 7
  Use these commands to look up file extensions and file associations in the command shell and in Windows PowerShell.
  
  
• Best Practices for Creating a Secure Guest Account
  These best practices will help keep your systems more secure when you need to enable a Guest account.
  
  
• Get the Full Path of a Folder or File in Windows 7
  Here are some pointers for viewing and copying the full path of the current folder in Windows 7.
  
  
• Get More Details about Processes Running on Windows 7
  Learn about right-click menu options that offer greater insight into processes running on Windows 7.
  
  
• Use Windows Update to Check for Updates to other Microsoft Products
  You can merge the functionality of Microsoft Update into Windows Update so that you no longer need to visit Office Online to get updates.
  
  
• Understand why AutoRun no Longer Works for Some USB Devices
  Some programs that used to automatically run from USB media no longer launch on their own. Here’s why.
  
  
• Recover a Local User Account Password
  Windows 7 offers limited ways to recover forgotten passwords. Here’s what you should know to be prepared before a password is lost.
  
  
• Optimize Display Scaling and Fix Scaling Issues on Windows 7
  Windows allows you to use scaling to increase the size of text and other items on the screen. Here’s a look at how you can configure scaling and fix some scaling-related problems.
  
  
• Create Local User Accounts in a Homegroup or Workgroup
  Get an overview of how to create a local user account for a Windows 7 computer that is a member of a homegroup or a workgroup.
  
  
• File Name and Folder Name Completion at the Command Prompt
  File name and Folder name completion can be indispensible when working at a command prompt. Learn some tricks for getting more out of this feature.
  
  
• A Fast and Easy Way to Create a System Repair Disc
  Find out just how easy it is to create a system repair disc for Windows 7—even if you don’t have the installation disc on hand.
  
  
• Defrag from the Command-Line for More Complete Control
  Learn the options and syntax for running defragmentation from a command-line in Windows 7.
  
  
• Configure Applications to Always Run as an Administrator
  Tired of right-clicking on applications to run as administrator. Windows 7 also allows you to mark an application so that it always runs with administrator privileges. Here’s how.
  
  
• Use the Shift Key to Temporarily Disable Startup Applications for Troubleshooting
  Here’s a quick trick you can use to troubleshoot problems that occur when logging on to Windows 7.
  
  
• Learn How to Take or Assign Ownership of Files and Folders
  Explore the responsibilities that come with ownership and discover how you can take or assign ownership of files and folders.
  
  
• Configure Remote Desktop Access on Windows 7 Systems
  Get an overview of how to enable and configure Remote Desktop on your Windows 7 systems.
  
  
• Discover Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts Designed for Windows Media Center
  The Media Center interface was designed for use with a remote control, but it also fully supports use of a keyboard. Here are some handy keyboard shortcuts designed for Media Center.
  
  
• Enable BitLocker on USB Flash Drives to Protect Data
  Any USB flash drive formatted with FAT, FAT32, or NTFS can be encrypted with BitLocker. Here's what you need to know.
  
  
• Get 7 Free Tools for Managing Disks and File Systems
  Manage disk usage, delete files permanently, monitor streams, and more. Here are 7 free tools every administrator should download.
  
  
• Learn Commands for Viewing and Managing Boot Configuration Data on Windows 7
  Get an overview of the commands you can use at a command line to view and edit the BCD (boot configuration data) Store.
  
  
• Understand and Configure the Welcome Screen and Classic Logon Screen
  Explore how the Welcome screen differs from the Logon screen, and discover some options you can tweak for controlling how users log on.
  
  
• Use new Powercfg Options to Find and Fix Energy-Related Problems
  Discover how new options for the Powercfg utility can help you find and fix common energy-efficiency problems.
  
  
• Create a Striped Volume in Windows
  The Windows 7 Disk Management interface makes it easy to create a striped volume. Here’s how.
  
  
• Manage BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) with Windows PowerShell
  In Windows 7, the BITSAdmin tool has been deprecated and instead you should use Windows PowerShell. Here’s an overview of the cmdlets you need to know.
  
  
• Use Advanced Tools for Increased Control over Windows Firewall
  Find out how you can delve into deeper settings for Windows Firewall, manage it from a command line, and even script firewall settings.
  
  
• Learn Best Practices for Optimizing the Virtual Memory Configuration
  There are some performance benefits to be gained from tweaking the page file configuration on Windows 7. But it is important that you know what you’re doing.
  
  
• Hide Windows 7 Updates that you do not Ever Want to Install
  There's an easy (but hidden) way to hide Windows updates that you don't ever want to install.
  
  
• Make Sense of Memory Management and Key Memory Measurements
  Understanding the meaning of terms like working set, virtual memory, and hard faults is essential to memory management. Here’s an overview of memory-related terms you should know.
  
  
• Include the Process ID Column on the Task Manager’s Processes Tab
  For detailed troubleshooting and performance analysis, here's how you can display the Process ID column on the Processes tab.
  
  
• Simplify Command Entry with Doskey Macros
  Here's a quick and easy way to create short macros you can use at the command prompt.
  
  
• Understand ReadyBoost and whether it will Speed Up your System
  Explore the ReadyBoost feature available on Windows 7 and Windows Vista and determine if it can speed up your system.
  
  
• Initiate Remote Assistance from a Command Line or a Script
  Learn the ins and outs of initiating Remote Assistance sessions directly from the command line or by using scripts.
  
  
• Use SchTasks.exe to Create and Manage Tasks
  Learn how you can use a command-line interface to create, delete, query, change, run, and end scheduled tasks on a local or remote system.
  
  
• Tweak Device Manager for a more Complete View of Devices
  Find out how you can configure Device Manager to view devices that use non-Plug and Play drivers and previ¬ously installed devices that are not currently connected.
  
  
• Check for and Repair Damaged System Files while Windows is Running
  Learn about a command-line utility that can scan for and fix damaged system files.
  
  
• Use Different Bit Rates for Different Devices when Syncing Music and Video Files
  Today’s hard drives have more than enough space for music and video collections, but space is still a concern on portable devices. See how you can store high quality copies on your desktop and have smaller versions automatically copied to your portable device.
  
  
• Customize the Start Menu Options in Windows 7
  Windows 7 offers numerous options for customizing the Start Menu. Here's an overview to help you make the Start Menu work how you want it to work.
  
  
• Quickly Translate Names to IP Addresses and Vice Versa
  Here’s a buried treasure in Windows that lets you quickly convert a fully qualified domain name to its IP address.
  
  
• Know and Understand the Network Troubleshooting Tools Available in Windows 7
  Here’s an overview of the more useful networking-related command-line utilities available in Windows 7 and a summary of how you can use each to solve problems.
  
  
• Use Network Mapping on Domains and Public Networks
  Learn how you can use Group Policy to enable network mapping on domains and public networks.
  
  
• Use Windows PowerShell to Monitor System Performance
  A new feature in Windows 7, you can now use Windows PowerShell to gather performance data. Learn how to use the three new cmdlets that make this possible.
  
  
• Run Check Disk from Windows Explorer to Check for and fix Disk Errors
  We've shown you how to run Check Disk from a command line to check the integrity of disks. Here's an overview of running Check Disk interactively from within Windows Explorer.
  
  
• Run Check Disk from a Command Line to Check for and fix Disk Errors
  You should periodically use the Check Disk tool to check the integrity of disks. Here's an overview of running Check Disk from a command line.
  
  
• Use the Registry to Configure Custom Search Providers in Windows 7
  Find out how you can edit the Registry to configure search providers in Windows 7 and distribute this custom configuration throughout your organization.
  
  
• Create and Use a Virtual Hard Disk on Windows 7
  In Windows 7, you can mount Virtual Hard Disks (VHDs) exactly like physical disks. Find out how to create and mount VHDs in Windows 7.
  
  
• Four Free Tools that every Administrator should Know About
  Some of the best tools for managing Windows are available for free. Check out these 4 downloads every administrator should know about.
  
  
• Use Windows PowerShell to Manage AppLocker in Windows 7
  Discover how you can use Windows PowerShell to examine and manage the new AppLocker feature in Windows 7.
  
  
• Remove Accounts and Deny Local Access to Workstations on Windows 7
  As workstations are moved around, you might find that previous owners still have access to its resources. Here's an easy way to control what systems users have access to.
  
  
• Configure a User Account to Log On Automatically on Windows 7
  While it's recommended that you require users to enter credentials when the computer starts, there may be times when it's preferable to have an account log on automatically. Here's how.
  
  
• Create and Use Backups Using the Backup and Restore Center
  Windows 7 includes the Backup and Restore Center for creating backups of personal data and entire system images. Find out how to configure backups to protect all your data.
  
  
• Use Custom Libraries in Windows 7 to Ensure You Backup All your Data
  Do you store important data files outside your user profile? Here's a simple trick to make sure you always backup your important data.
  
  
• Configure Legacy Devices to Run on Windows 7
  The Windows 7 driver store includes a small collection of drivers for legacy devices, but will not automatically set up those devices. Here's what you can do to try and keep your favorite device functioning on Windows 7.
  
  
• Use the Powerful and Free Autoruns Tool to Take Charge of Startup Apps
  Autoruns is arguably the most powerful and complete utility for managing programs and services that run automatically at startup or logon. Find out what it can do for you.
  
  
• Use a Command-Line Utility to convert a FAT32 Disk to NTFS
  An overview of the easiest way to convert a FAT or FAT32 disk to NTFS.
  
  
• Use the Driverquery Command to Take Inventory of Installed Drivers
  If you want a compact record of installed drivers in a format that you can review later, use the Driverquery command.
  
  
• Repair the MBR to restore Windows 7 to your Multiboot Options
  You installed Windows XP on a system already running Windows 7, and now Windows 7 is no longer on the boot menu. Find out how to fix the MBR and get Windows 7 back.
  
  
• Understand Compatibility Issues and why some Apps Fail on Windows 7
  Before you deploy Windows 7, you should understand how some applications may break on the new OS. Then you’ll be prepared to choose the best solution to fix your broken app.
  
  
• Get to Know Robocopy for More Powerful File Management
  Dragging files between folders is fine, but when it comes to heavy-duty file management you need a better tool. If you need more power and flexibility, it's time you get to know Robocopy.
  
  
• Use Local Security Policy to customize UAC behavior
  FInd out how you can use Local Security Policies in Windows 7 to modify the behavior of User Account Control.
  
  
• Use Natural Language to Search your Windows 7 System
  Not big into Boolean? You can use Natural Language to perform some pretty complex searches using Windows Search. But first you’ll have to turn on Natural Language support.
  
  
• Know What’s New for Security in Windows 7
  Windows 7 includes some important improvements for securing the desktop. Here's a quick overview.
  
  
• Remove Personal metadata from Files to Protect Your Privacy
  Metadata stored within a file can reveal a lot of information. Fortunately, Windows 7 lets you scrub data from files to protect your privacy.
  
  
• Navigate Windows Explorer More Quickly with These Keyboard Shortcuts
  Learn some keyboard shortcuts designed to help you navigate Windows Explorer more easily.
  
  
• Assign a Program or Process to a Specific CPU running on Windows 7
  On systems with multiple processors or multiple cores, Windows 7 lets you specify which CPU should handle a particular process.
  
  
• Understand and Control Startup Apps with the System Configuration Utility
  If you don’t require a program at startup, it’s a good idea to get it out of your startup path. Here are some pointers.
  
  
• Remove a program from the Recommended Programs on the Open With dialog
  This simple Registry edit lets you control what applications are included on the Recommended Programs list.
  
  
• Dig Deep into your system with Dedicated System Information Tools in Windows 7
  Windows 7 includes some handy tools for digging deep into the details of the systems you manage. Learn about three tools of the trade every IT pro should know.
  
  
• Use Windows Firewall on Different Networks
  The firewall in Windows 7 maintains different network location types for different networks. Here’s what you should know about using these profiles to protect your system on different networks.
  
  
• How to Restore Data to Windows 7 that you Backed Up on Windows XP
  Windows 7 cannot open or restore files backed up in the format used by Windows XP Backup. But your data isn't lost. Here's a look at restoring from older backups.
  
  
• Configure Your Windows 7 System to Run Legacy Apps in a Virtualized Windows XP Environment
  Windows XP Mode is an optional download for Windows 7 that lets you run applications that might not run well on Windows 7. Here's all you need to know to get started.
  
  
• Install Windows 7 alongside an older Windows OS for a Multiboot System
  Want to install Windows 7 on a system, but leave the previous Windows installation in place? Follow these easy steps.

Data Source :
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ee851557.aspx

Videos Android ’s latest version 3.0...

Android ’s latest version has released...

Google’s latest version of Android – Honeycomb – has released with its awesome UI and features. Here are some of the Honeycomb platform preview which lists some of the major changes which will be brought about by the OS.

New User Features

New UI designed from the ground up for tablets

Android 3.0 is a new version of the Android platform that is specifically optimized for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. It introduces a brand new, truly virtual and “holographic” UI design, as well as an elegant, content-focused interaction model.
Android 3.0 builds on the things people love most about Android — refined multitasking, rich notifications, Home screen customization, widgets, and more — and transforms them with a vibrant, 3D experience and deeper interactivity, making them familiar but even better than before.
The new UI brings fresh paradigms for interaction, navigation, and customization and makes them available to all applications — even those built for earlier versions of the platform. Applications written for Android 3.0 are able to use an extended set of UI objects, powerful graphics, and media capabilities to engage users in new ways.

System Bar, for global status and notifications

Across the system and in all applications, users have quick access to notifications, system status, and soft navigation buttons in a System Bar, available at the bottom of the screen. The System Bar is always present and is a key touchpoint for users, but in a new "lights out mode" can also be dimmed for full-screen viewing, such as for videos.

Action Bar, for application control

In every application, users have access to contextual options, navigation, widgets, or other types of content in an Action Bar, displayed at the top of the screen. The Action Bar is always present when an application is in use, although its content, theme, and other properties are managed by the application rather than the system. The Action Bar is another key touchpoint for users, especially with action items and an overflow dropdown menu, which users frequently access in a similar manner in most applications.

Customizable Home screens

Five customizable Home screens give users instant access to all parts of the system from any context. Each screen offers a large grid that maintains spatial arrangement in all orientations. Users can select and manipulate Home screen widgets, app shortcuts, and wallpapers using a dedicated visual layout mode. Visual cues and drop shadows improve visibility when adjusting the layout of shortcuts and widgets. Each Home screen also offers a familiar launcher for access to all installed applications, as well as a Search box for universal search of apps, contacts, media files, web content, and more.

Recent Apps, for easy visual multitasking

Multitasking is a key strength of Android and it is central to the Android 3.0 experience. As users launch applications to handle various tasks, they can use the Recent Apps list in the System Bar to see the tasks underway and quickly jump from one application context to another. To help users rapidly identify the task associated with each app, the list shows a snapshot of its actual state when the user last viewed it.

Redesigned keyboard

The Android soft keyboard is redesigned to make entering text fast and accurate on larger screen sizes. The keys are reshaped and repositioned for improved targeting, and new keys have been added, such as a Tab key, to provide richer and more efficient text input. Users can touch-hold keys to access menus of special characters and switch text/voice input modes from a button in the System Bar.

Improved text selection, copy and paste

When entering or viewing text, a new UI lets users quickly select a word by press-hold and then adjust the selection area as needed by dragging a set of bounding arrows to new positions. Users can then select an action from the Action Bar, such as copy to the clipboard, share, paste, web search, or find.

New connectivity options

Android 3.0 includes new connectivity features that add versatility and convenience for users. Built-in support for Media/Picture Transfer Protocol lets users instantly sync media files with a USB-connected camera or desktop computer, without needing to mount a USB mass-storage device. Users can also connect full keyboards over either USB or Bluetooth, for a familiar text-input environment. For improved wi-fi connectivity, a new combo scan reduces scan times across bands and filters. New support for Bluetooth tethering means that more types of devices can share the network connection of an Android-powered device.

Updated set of standard apps

The Android 3.0 platform includes an updated set of standard applications that are designed for use on larger screen devices. The sections below highlight some of the new features.
Browser The browser includes new features that let users navigate and organize more efficiently. Multiple tabs replace browser windows and a new “incognito” mode allows anonymous browsing. Bookmarks and history are presented and managed in a single unified view. Users can now choose to automatically sign into Google sites on the browser with a supplied account and sync bookmarks with Google Chrome. New multitouch support is now available to JavaScript and plugins. Users can enjoy a better browsing experience at non-mobile sites through an improved zoom and viewport model, overflow scrolling, support for fixed positioning, and more.

Camera and Gallery

The Camera application has been redesigned to take advantage of a larger screen for quick access to exposure, focus, flash, zoom, front-facing camera, and more. To let users capture scenes in new ways, it adds built-in support for time-lapse video recording. The Gallery application lets users view albums and other collections in full-screen mode, with easy access to thumbnails for other photos in the collection.

Contacts

The Contacts app uses a new two-pane UI and Fast Scroll to let users easily organize and locate contacts. The application offers improved formatting of international phone numbers as user types, based on home country and an international number parsing library. Contact information is presented in a card-like UI, making it easier for users to read and edit contacts.

Email

The Email application uses a new two-pane UI to make viewing and organizing messages more efficient. The app lets users select one or more messages, then select an action from the Action Bar, such as moving them to a folder. Users can sync attachments for later viewing and keep track of email using a home screen Widget.

New Developer Features

The Android 3.0 platform is designed specially to meet the unique needs of applications on devices with larger screen sizes. It offers all of the tools developers need to create incredible visual and interaction experiences on these devices.

• New UI framework for creating great tablet apps
• High-performance 2D and 3D graphics
• Support for multicore processor architectures
• Rich multimedia and connectivity
• Enhancements for enterprise
• Compatibility with existing apps

New UI Framework for creating great tablet apps

Activity fragments, for greater control of content and design flexibility

Starting with Android 3.0, developers can break the Activities of their applications into subcomponents called Fragments, then combine them in a variety of ways to create a richer, more interactive experience. For example, an application can use a set of Fragments to create a true multipane UI, with the user being able to interact with each pane independently. Fragments can be added, removed, replaced, and animated inside an Activity dynamically, and they are modular and reusable across multiple Activities. Because they are modular, Fragments also offer an efficient way for developers to write applications that can run properly on both larger screen as well as smaller screen devices.

Redesigned UI widgets

Android 3.0 offers an updated set of UI widgets that developers can use to quickly add new types of content to their applications. The new UI widgets are redesigned for use on larger screens such as tablets and incorporate the new holographic UI theme. Several new widget types are available, including a 3D stack, search box, a date/time picker, number picker, calendar, popup menu, and others. Most of the redesigned UI widgets can now be used as remote views in application widgets displayed on the home screen. Applications written for earlier versions can inherit the new Widget designs and themes.

Expanded Home screen widgets

Home screen widgets are popular with users because they offer fast access to application-specific data directly from the home screen. Android 3.0 lets developers take home screen widgets to the next level, offering more types of content and new modes of interaction with users. Developers can now use more standard UI widget types home screen widgets, including widgets that let users flip through collections of content as 3D stacks, grids, or lists. Users can interact with the home screen widgets in new ways, such as by using touch gestures to scroll and flip the content displayed in a widget.

Persistent Action Bar

The platform provides each application with its own instance of the Action Bar at the top of the screen, which the application can use to give the user quick access to contextual options, widgets, status, navigation, and more. The application can also customize the display theme of its Action Bar instance. The Action Bar lets developers expose more features of their applications to users in a familiar location, while also unifying the experience of using an application that spans multiple Activities or states.

Richer notifications

Notifications are a key part of the Android user experience because they let applications show key updates and status information to users in real time. Android 3.0 extends this capability, letting developers include richer content and control more properties. A new builder class lets developers quickly create notifications that include large and small icons, a title, a priority flag, and any properties already available in previous versions. Notifications can offer more types of content by building on the expanded set of UI Widgets that are now available as remote Views.

Multiselect, clipboard, and drag-and-drop

The platform offers convenient new interaction modes that developers can use. For managing collections of items in lists or grids, developers can offer a new multiselect mode that lets users choose multiple items for an action. Developers can also use a new system-wide Clipboard to let users easily copy any type of data into and out of their applications. To make it easier for users to manage and organize files, developers can now add drag-and-drop interaction through a DragEvent framework.

High-performance 2D and 3D graphics

New animation framework

The platform includes a flexible new animation framework that lets developers easily animate the properties of UI elements such as Views, Widgets, Fragments, Drawables, or any arbitrary object. Animations can create fades or movement between states, loop an animated image or an existing animation, change colors, and much more. Adding animation to UI elements can add visual interest to an application and refine the user experience, to keep users engaged.

Hardware-accelerated 2D graphics

Android 3.0 offers a new hardware-accelerated OpenGL renderer that gives a performance boost to many common graphics operations for applications running in the Android framework. When the renderer is enabled, most operations in Canvas, Paint, Xfermode, ColorFilter, Shader, and Camera are accelerated. Developers can control how hardware-acceleration is applied at every level, from enabling it globally in an application to enabling it in specific Activities and Views inside the application.

Renderscript 3D graphics engine

Renderscript is a runtime 3D framework that provides both an API for building 3D scenes as well as a special, platform-independent shader language for maximum performance. Using Renderscript, you can accelerate graphics operations and data processing. Renderscript is an ideal way to create high-performance 3D effects for applications, wallpapers, carousels, and more.

Support for multicore processor architectures

Android 3.0 is the first version of the platform designed to run on either single or multicore processor architectures. A variety of changes in the Dalvik VM, Bionic library, and elsewhere add support for symmetric multiprocessing in multicore environments. These optimizations can benefit all applications, even those that are single-threaded. For example, with two active cores, a single-threaded application might still see a performance boost if the Dalvik garbage collector runs on the second core. The system will arrange for this automatically.

Rich multimedia and connectivity

HTTP Live streaming

Applications can now pass an M3U playlist URL to the media framework to begin an HTTP Live streaming session. The media framework supports most of the HTTP Live streaming specification, including adaptive bit rate.

Pluggable DRM framework

Android 3.0 includes an extensible DRM framework that lets applications manage protected content according to a variety of DRM mechanisms that may be available on the device. For application developers, the framework API offers an consistent, unified API that simplifies the management of protected content, regardless of the underlying DRM engines.

Digital media file transfer

The platform includes built-in support for Media/Picture Transfer Protocol (MTP/PTP) over USB, which lets users easily transfer any type of media files between devices and to a host computer. Developers can build on this support, creating applications that let users create or manage media files that they may want to transfer or share across devices.

More types of connectivity

The platform offers new connectivity that developers can build on. API support for Bluetooth A2DP and HSP profiles lets applications query Bluetooth profiles for connected devices, audio state, and more, then notify the user. For example, a music application can check connectivity and status and let the user know that music is playing through a stereo headset. Applications can also register to receive system broadcasts of pre-defined vendor-specific AT commands, such as Platronics Xevent. For example, an application could receive broadcasts that indicate a connected device's battery level and could notify the user or take other action as needed. Applications can also take advantage of the platform's new support for full keyboards connected by USB or Bluetooth.

Enhancements for enterprise

In Android 3.0, developers of device administration applications can support new types of policies, including policies for encrypted storage, password expiration, password history, and password complex characters required.

Compatibility with existing apps

Android 3.0 brings a new UI designed for tablets and other larger screen devices, but it also is fully compatible with applications developed for earlier versions of the platform, or for smaller screen sizes. Existing applications can seamlessly participate in the new holographic UI theme without code changes, by adding a single attribute in their manifest files. The platform emulates the Menu key, which is replaced by the overflow menu in the Action Bar in the new UI. Developers wanting to take fuller advantage of larger screen sizes can also create dedicated layouts and assets for larger screens and add them to their existing applications.

Data Source :
http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-3.0-highlights.html