Everyone has been wondering how the Android market will hold up now that Apple has released the iPad 2.
The answer comes in the form of Android Honeycomb 3 and it is now the operating system of choice for all the new tablets.
Honeycomb 3 is developed for tablets so it has lots of new technology to take advantage of the power of the CPU and the larger screen of a tablet.
Honeycomb is an extension of the mobile phone Android OS with enhanced multitasking, rich notifications, customizable home screens, widgets, and the list goes on. The interface is a highly interactive 3D experience that creates familiarity while at the same time making it even better.
New applications are being written and old ones are being re-written to take advantage of the powerful graphics, media capabilities and the enhanced user experience that Honeycomb provides.
Honeycomb provides two new bars. They are the “Systems” and “Action” bar. The “systems bar” will always be visible along the bottom of the display. So if you are running an application the system bar will still be visible giving system information and updates (i.e. incoming mail etc)
The “Action bar” presents itself when you are running an application. The “action bar” is contextual and will display information relevant to the application currently running. It’s here that you will also access key information about the running application.
Like all things Android you get the usual five home screens which can give you access to everything in Honeycomb. All home screens have a grid orientation that allow placement for home screen widgets, app shortcuts, and wallpapers using a dedicated visual layout mode to be placed as wanted.
There is now an enhanced version of the Android keyboard. The keys have been reshaped and repositioned for improved typing, and new keys have been added, such as a Tab key, to provide richer and more efficient text input. You can now switch from text/input modes through a special button in the system bar and touching and holding keys will bring up a menu of special characters.
Honeycomb now includes a variety of new connectivity options to greatly enhance the usability of an Android tablet. There is no longer a need to mount a USB hard drive as users can now synchronize there photos and MP3s between a USB connected camera or computer. Users can also connect full keyboards over either USB or Bluetooth.
Included in Honeycomb is a brand new browser. The web experience is now easier to navigate and organize with Honeycomb’s new browser features. Multiple tabs replace browser windows and a new “incognito” mode allows anonymous browsing.
A two-pane email interface makes browsing and organizing emails a much more streamlined experience. Users can select one or more messages and then by using the Action bar they can delete them all or move them to a folder. Users can sync attachments for later viewing and keep track of email using a home screen Widget.
A new camera application has been re-written to take advantage of the extra screen real estate. There is also faster access to exposure, focus, zoom, flash, the front facing camera and a few more extras. With support for time-lapse video Honeycomb gives users a new and creative way to make videos. The Gallery application has also been updated so users can see their photos in full screen mode with easy access to other photos in their collection.
Google Honeycomb now gives the marketplace more vibrancy in regards to the tablet computer but more importantly there is now a choice for consumers. The world is no longer dominated by Apple but instead users now have a choice of technology to buy. Within the Android tablet realm there is even more choice with different sizes and different feature sets among the manufacturers that will appeal to different users. If you want a smaller tablet that is more portable you have that option. If you need something bigger or something more powerful to play games on and be more productive then that is also available.
The author has a blog where he enjoys sharing his passion for the latest gadgets. For a review on one of the latest affordable Android tablets that doesn’t skimp on features check out his review at Acer Iconia Tablet A500.
