android 3.0

Why aren't people buying Honeycomb tablets?

As we near the one-year anniversary of Honeycomb tablets, you might assume that Android 3.0 has led to a proliferation of devices and sales.

After all, considering it was written specifically with large displays in mind, it was sure to revolutionize the tablet industry, right?

Well, not exactly. According to new data from ad network Chitika, Honeycomb only accounts for 1 percent of the Android usage on their system.

Based on data collected from hundreds of millions of ads served over the span of a week, Chitika found that Gingerbread and Froyo still command approximately 95 percent of the … Read more

Android issues reportedly to delay Acer A100 tablet

Compatibility problems between Android 3.0 and Acer's 7-inch Iconia A100 tablet will reportedly delay the launch of the new tablet, according to a story in DigiTimes.

Originally set to start selling the new tablet by May or June, Acer is now rescheduling the launch to an August-September time frame.

Since Android 3.0 Honeycomb was designed specifically for larger-screen tablets, Acer has discovered a variety of apps in the new OS that are incompatible with 7-inch screens, claims DigiTimes, citing industry sources. On its end, Google is reportedly trying to fix other issues, also putting a crimp in … Read more

Samsung upgrading Galaxy S, Tab to Gingerbread

Owners of Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet will finally receive an upgrade to Android 2.3 Gingerbread starting very soon.

Samsung announced today that the Gingerbread upgrade would also extend to its Galaxy Ace, Gio, Fit, and mini phones.

The company will kick off with an upgrade to the Galaxy S in the U.K. and Nordic countries starting as soon as the middle of this month. The upgrade would then travel through the rest of the world, reaching other European countries, North America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and then other regions.… Read more

Report: ViewSonic to win 7-inch Honeycomb tablet race

ViewSonic is set to unveil the industry's first 7-inch Android Honeycomb tablet at month's end, according to sources cited by tech site Pocket-Lint.

The ViewPad 7x will debut on May 31 at the Computex computer show in Taipei, Taiwan, Pocket-Lint reported, and will be a follow-up rather than a replacement to ViewSonic's existing ViewPad 7 tablet, which runs Android 2.2, aka Froyo. Following its late May unveiling, the device should reach consumers in June.

Details are scarce, but according to Pocket-Lint, the ViewPad 7x will sport an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, cameras in front and back, and support for the high-speed HSPA+ networks offered by AT&T and T-Mobile. The tablet would also include both HDMI and DLNA ports to pipe content through a TV or media center device.… Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 46: Desire and the Cute Girl Index

Nielsen thinks that Android phones are finally more desirable than iPhones, but Antuan could have told you that based on less than scientific observations. Justin shows us a phone that he does not desire, the HTC Droid Incredible 2. The unlikely Barnes & Noble Nook Color is rapidly becoming the most desirable Android tablet thanks to a new firmware update. Meanwhile, Motorola plans to give hardcore users what they truly desire, quad-core processors and more hacker friendly Android phones. All of that plus more news and the answers to your emailed questions on this week's episode of Android Atlas … Read more

Sony: Android and Nvidia go together

Sony's adoption of Nvidia silicon for its upcoming Android tablets makes the graphics chip supplier--at least for the time being--the hardware standard for the Android tablet world, as a Sony vice president articulated in an interview in Japan on Wednesday.

"For the tablet platform, we're standardizing on Android 3.0 and Nvidia's Tegra 2," said Kunimasa Suzuki, a senior vice president at Sony in an interview with Japan-based Impress Watch.

Suzuki's comments come after Sony unveiled two Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" tablets on Tuesday. One has a 9.4-inch (1280-by-800) display and … Read more

Sony unveils two Android 3.0 tablets

Sony made it official today in Tokyo, disclosing two new tablet designs that will run Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" software and have access to PlayStation content.

The Japanese company said in a brief statement that it is "developing two tablets," including the S1 which is "optimized for media entertainment" and the S2 (both codenames), aimed at "mobile communication and entertainment."

The tablets, with the official moniker of "Sony Tablet," will become available worldwide starting in the fall.

The S1 has a 9.4-inch (1280-by-800) display and front and rear cameras, … Read more

Rumor: Android 3.0 ThinkPad tablet by summer?

According to a Lenovo internal presentation sent to the blog This Is My Next over the weekend, the world's fourth-largest PC maker is planning to jump on the touch-screen tablet bandwagon by this summer.

Here's what the document says: The tablet will be powered by Android 3.0, otherwise known as Honeycomb, will come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB storage size options, weigh 1.6 pounds, and have a 10.1-inch IPS (in-plane switching) touch screen. The processor is an Nvidia Tegra 2, there are two cameras--front and back--and it'll be 0.55 inches thick.

There are … Read more

Gartner: iPad will rule, even as it wanes

Despite rising competition from the likes of Android, Apple's iOS-based iPad will continue to lead the tablet market on into 2015, according to a report out today by Gartner.

Looking at the tablet market by operating system, Gartner pegged Apple's share at 84 percent last year and is forecasting 69 percent this year. Though Apple's dominance may ebb over the next few years, it will still maintain its lead, with 63 percent of all tablets sold next year and 47 percent in 2015, according to the market researcher.

Amid any decline in market share, unit sales of … Read more

New Toshiba tablet to hit Best Buy soon

Toshiba's upcoming 10-inch tablet may not yet have a name but at least it's found another home.

Best Buy is the latest retailer to announce that it will carry the new tablet. Though no specific launch date has yet been revealed, Toshiba has been pointing to spring for the tablet's debut, while Best Buy is promising that the device is "coming soon."

Best Buy joins Amazon as another outlet that'll carry the new tablet once it launches.

Following in the footsteps of the Motorola Xoom and other new and upcoming tablets, Toshiba's device … Read more