Google releases Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich as new base version for partners

Google just announced on the Android Developers’ blog that Android 4.0.3, an incremental update of Ice Cream Sandwich, will become the base version for ICS vendors starting sometime in the “weeks ahead.” As for what’s included in the release, the usual bug fixes, optimizations and a “small number of new APIs for developers”.

Some of the new application programming interfaces include Calendar enhancements, such as the ability to add colors to events, new camera APIs that give apps access to video stabilization and QVGA resolution profiles, accessibility refinements with updated status and error reporting for text-to-speech features, “Improved content access for screen readers,” and other enhancements to “graphics, database, spell-checking, Bluetooth, and more”.

Developers can download the new release to the SDK using the Android SDK Manager.

Here is what’s included in terms of APIs:

Some of the new APIs in Android 4.0.3 include:

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

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 and Bluetooth.