We got our first look at Android 3.0 Honeycomb at CES in January 2011. Later that month, Google released the SDK preview, and we really got into the OS. Honeycomb is Google's version of Android that is specifically for large screen devices like tablets and Google TV. It remains it's own special code branch until the platform is unified by adding feature support for smartphones in Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Honeycomb brings a feature-rich Android experience to tablets, and ushers in a major change in the way Google controls Android. Rather than make the Honeycomb version of Android available to everyone, Google is holding OEMs to stricter hardware and software standards. Some may argue that this goes against the open philosophy we're used to from Google, but it affords them a tighter control and focuses development.
Android 3.0 highlights
- A new "holographic" user interface and interaction model -- what we've seen on the Motorola Xoom.
- UI framework for creating great apps for larger screen devices.
- High-performance 2D and 3D graphics.
- Support for multicore processor architectures.
- Rich multimedia: New multimedia features such as HTTP Live streaming support, a pluggable DRM framework, and easy media file transfer through MTP/PTP, give developers new ways to bring rich content to users.
- New types of connectivity: New APIs for Bluetooth A2DP and HSP let applications offer audio streaming and headset control. Support for Bluetooth insecure socket connection lets applications connect to simple devices that may not have a user interface.
- Enhancements for enterprise: New administrative policies, such as for encrypted storage and password expiration, help enterprise administrators manage devices more effectively.
Android 3.1 Honeycomb was announced at Google IO in May, and the Motorola Xoom started receiving updates within a day or so.
Android 3.1 highlights
- Support for the new Android Market movie rentals service with thousands of titles available for immediate viewing on the Motorola XOOM’s high-resolution display or on a larger screen via HDMI
- Full support for the final release of Adobe® Flash® Player 10.2, delivering significant performance enhancements when viewing rich Flash content on the web
- Resizable widgets to enable further customization of home screens
- Support for USB-connected peripherals and accessories, such as keyboards, mice, game controllers and digital cameras
- Expanded Bluetooth features to support Bluetooth headsets in Google Talk™ video chats and Bluetooth mouse support in addition to additional shortcut keys with the Bluetooth keyboard
- Picture Transfer Protocol Feature support to enable easier transfer of photo files to your PC without the need for drivers
More Honeycomb stories
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Feb 02, 2011
At long last, after the tease at CES, T-Mobile has finally given details on its Android tablet -- the LG G-Slate. And we're simultaneously scratching our heads and dying to get our hands on this ...
Article
by Will Shanklin
Feb 01, 2011
The Nook Color port of the Honeycomb SDK preview has been released to the public, and is now available for installation. Currently set up to run off of an SD card, the ROM (from developer deeper...
Article
by Jerry Hildenbrand
Jan 30, 2011
While nobody is quite sure why (none of us, anyway), the Honeycomb SDK preview seems to have gone AWOL for most everyone looking for it. We started to get tips and questions Saturday evenin...
Article
by Will Shanklin
Jan 29, 2011
This one just keeps getting better and better. First, photos were posted of Android 3.0 Honeycomb booting on the Nook Color, then the developer posted a video of Honeycomb booting, and now a...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 28, 2011
Not content with merely releasing the Android 3.0 SDK, Google's invited a smattering of press to its Mountain View campus on Feb. 2 for a closer look at Honeycomb. Didn't get your invite? That's ...
Article
by Will Shanklin
Jan 28, 2011
The turn-around time between source releases and dev community releases seems to be shrinking more and more these days. Just two days after Google released the Honeycomb SDK Preview, dev deeper-...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 28, 2011
Only three days left to enter to win a Motorola Xoom! The Motorola Xoom is looking to be the Android tablet to beat so far -- check out of first look at CES. And if the rumors are correct, it could we...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 28, 2011
Honeycomb SDK preview Android 3.0 SDK preview: 2D, 3D graphics and dual-core support in Honeycomb!What's new in Android 3.0 HoneycombHoneycomb Easter Egg: Rezzzzzzz ...Android 3.0 Honeycomb wallpapers...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 27, 2011
We've walked you through Android 3.0 Honeycomb. We've given you Honeycomb wallpapers. And now it's time for Honeycomb screen shots. Below are a culmination of wandering through the Android 3.0 S...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 27, 2011
Click me for the real thing! Sure, that Honeycomb Easter egg is pretty awesome. But it's even more awesome as a wallpaper. So we've got it, Lloyd, and all the default wallpapers from the Android 3.0 ...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 26, 2011
Remember the Easter egg in Gingerbread? There's also one lurking in Honeycomb. Not quite as scary as its Gingerbread counterpart, but no less cool. Thanks, Matt!...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 26, 2011
We got our first real taste of Android 3.0 -- "Honeycomb" -- on the Motorola Xoom tablet during CES in early January. It's a pretty big leap from the Android we know and love today, to be s...
Article
by Sean Brunett
Jan 26, 2011
It pays to listen to Motorola Mobility's quarterly earnings calls, because new CEO Sanjay Jha (OK, old CEO, but new CEO of the newly separate MM ... you know what we mean) dropped a little ...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 26, 2011
Google just announced Android 3.0 Honeycomb and has released a preview of the SDK to go along with it. Here are the big points:A new "holographic" user interface and interaction model -...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 25, 2011
Flipping through the session listings for Google IO 2011, and a couple of things stand out: First, there's building web apps and Android apps for Google TV. Google TV, as you'll recall, was ...
Article
by Chris Kerrigan
Jan 24, 2011
It looks like the tablet playing field is about to get a lot more competitive. Our good friends over at PreCentral got their hands on some information regarding HP's plans and specs for the webO...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 23, 2011
Dunno about you, but we'd be perfectly happy if Best Buy drops the price of the Motorola Xoom Android 3.0 tablet $100 when it's released on Feb. 17. (Droid Attic's leak also apparently confirms the l...
Article
by Phil Nickinson
Jan 23, 2011
When we broke the news of the Motorola Xoom's minimum advertised price, the obvious question remained -- WHEN can we get one? Looks like Feb. 17 will be the date at Best Buy, if this leaked screensho...
