What is visual Studio LightSwitch

What is visual Studio LightSwitch can be viewed as whole new version of MSAccess ,written on the top of Visual Studio 2011 and it has built in support of for several data source including cloud based. 

Alternative Titles
LightSwitch Vs MS Access
What is new in Visual Studio Light Switch
LightSwitch Vs Visual Studio 2011

 Availability and Downloads (LightSwitch Vs Visual Studio 2011) 

• Available as separate download as LightSwitch 2011
• Also being shipped as part of Visual Studio 2011 family.

 What is New in LightSwitch

1. Business data types: that provide built-in validation like email field
2. External Data Bases Connectivity :Support of external data bases without coding including cloud data bases. 
3. Built-in security feature like authentication and authentication
4. Wide Platform Support :Support both Desktop and cloud
5. Based in Visual Studio :Leverage the enhance Visual Studio designer capabilities.
6. C# Support: Unlike MSAccess it support both C# and VB
7. Extendability (Light Switch Extensions) : This feature allow third party developers to develop their own application and features on the top of Light Switch. Some well known extensions are below.
1. DevExpress Reporting allow you to easily creates business report form your data .
2. OLAP for LightSwitch provides analytical processing features similar to those found in Microsoft Excel pivot tables and charts. Users of all skill levels can use OLAP to create interactive tables, charts, and reports that give drag-and-drop views for data analysis in seconds. 
3. RSSBus Data Providers:The Data Provider extensions help you connect your application to the unique data types found in a variety of common services and frameworks. Using these extensions, you can synchronize data from QuickBooks, Google, Salesforce.com, and PowerShell.
4. More Extensions can be found at Microsoft Visual Studio Gallery

LightSwitch Project Templates (Starter Kits)

Lot of ready to use starter kits are Available at Microsoft web site that can be used to quickly build an new LOB (line of business) application just by customizing them as per your need.

Learning Resources 

In order to get started quickly I would suggest to watch few training videos available on Light Switch home page

Further References  

http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/lightswitch/overview-videos/lightswitch-2011-overview