Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets revealed in new video

Major news from Google just hit at CES: Android 3.0, dubbed Honeycomb, has been revealed. It might be a leak, but the video is very well made and looks quite solid. While a new Android version is always a big deal, this leak is made all the more significant by the platform's apparent shift in focus. It's all about the tablets now.

While Android for phones is certainly not going away, the Honeycomb video features a bold statement, "Built Entirely for Tablet." And the UI really shows it, as you can see in the screencap above. Gmail looks different, but that's just one change. The whole interface underwent a radical change, to work with the tablet form factor. Other highlights from the video:

A 3D-looking task switcher
A massive software keyboard, quite reminiscent of a certain tablet that shall remain nameless (ahem)
Rich widgets on a roomy homescreen -- the Gmail widget looks basically like the current Gmail app
A strong emphasis on Google Books, including "live" widgets (scroll through books on the widget)
A tabbed browser, looking vaguely Chrome-like
A panorama-like view of YouTube with a 3D "wall" of thumbnails
Video-enabled Gtalk
Solid zoom-and-pan action with the new Maps app, including 3D buildings. This seems similar to Maps v5, but it looks so much better on a tablet.
Lots of futuristic-looking neon text

Exciting times indeed! Now let's see a review unit.Continue reading Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets revealed in new videoGoogle's Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets revealed in new video originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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