Google Fast-Tracking Android Tablet Development?
Is Google ramping up their efforts to make Android more tablet-ready? Honeycomb (or Android 3.0) — to supersede the yet to be released Gingerbread (Android 2.3) — may be on the fast release to keep up with the tablet demands. Rumor has it Honeycomb might be coming as early as February 2011. Here’s some quick color on the tasty OS…
DigiTimes, of dubious rumor fame, says nVidia’s ARM Tegra 2 Processor will take the spotlight at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011, and that many handset and tablet makers are excited to embed the chip into their electronic slabs. What’s more, with so much buzz around the ARM CPU, key players like Qualcomm, Marvel, Broadcom, Motorola and LG are all (allegedly) chomping at the bit to get their tablets to market.
With that knowledge, Google has apparently thrown their support behind Motorola and LG, which both want to launch tablets in February-March 2011, and have their device road-maps set to be running the Honeycomb version of Android. Motorola is set to launch a MotoPad and LG is set to launch the Optimus tablet.
The bigger picture? Google fears Apple. January 2011 will undoubtedly see the unveiling of the iPad 2, and with untold innovations behind the curtain and Apple, Google doesn’t want to be stuck without a good weapon in their arsenal. We’ll see how they fair and if Google leaks some more Honeycomb goodness before iPad 2 has a chance to take the wind out of any announcements.
I have high hopes for Google, but I worry device fragmentation might limit Google from ever developing something that looks and feels like a full-polished cohesive product.
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