Motorola Motopad will be first taste of Honeycomb with Android tablet OS

The Motorola Motopad could be the first taste of Android Honeycomb. The 7-inch Motopad slate is reported to be sweet enough to run Android version 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb, which is the first verison of Android designed specifically for tablet computers.

Russian phone site Mobile-Review.com revealed the news in a tweet, naming the Motopad as the first tablet to see Android make the most of a larger screen and more powerful processor and battery.

The 7-inch tablet won't impress Apple boss Steve Jobs, who believes size is important. Fortunately for Generalissimo Jobs, Motorola has a larger 10-inch tablet called the Stingray heading for Verizon in the US. Stingraaaaayyyy -- Stingray!

Google's open-source Android mobile operating system has been a smash hit on mobile phones, and is the software of choice for the profusion of tablets looking to challenge the Apple iPad. However, the vanilla version of Android isn't really ready for the big screen just yet, and Honeycomb will be the version that blows up to tablet size. When Honeycomb does arrive, developers of existing apps already in the Android Market will have to revisit their apps to retrofit them for a slate.

Originally, version 3.0 of Android was set to be Gingerbread. Now it appears the forthcoming version 2.3 for phones will be called Gingerbread, and version 3.0 will be Honeycomb. Gingerbread is expected any day now.

Other tablets expected to run Honeycomb include the forthcoming LG Optimus Pad. Although there's a raft of Android tablets imminent, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab is in shops this month, China's largest computer manufacturer Lenovo has specifically said it won't release its LePad tablet in the US until a tablet-specific Android arrives.

In other news, Motorola is set to split up like Peter Andre and Katie Price, but with less crying on telly and cross-dressing wrestlers. The business IT side will be called Motorola Solutions and mobile devices will be Motorola Mobility.