While we’ve all been waiting for a tablet optimized Android OS for quite some time now, Google’s Android 3.0 Event which was streamed live today, presented some fantastic new features of the OS which will be available on upcoming Honeycomb tablets very soon. Most aspects of the new OS were covered such as the new Cloud support, Renderscript technology, Video Chatting, Improved Gmail, Android Market Webstore, and In-App Purchasing. In case you missed the event online, here’s a taste of what Honeycomb has to offer.
CLOUD SUPPORT
- Excellent solution for backing up your personal data on your tablet, especially if your device is ever lost or stolen, you have the comfort of knowing that all of your information is safe and secure thanks to Cloud.
MULTI-TOUCH SUPPORT
- Multi-touch Support on Android 3.0 is exciting in that you can really utilizing the touchscreen in many variations. Whether you’re scrolling through different news-feeds, social networks, or even music artists; The capability to do either function simultaneously is what drives it apart from other touchscreen devices.
RENDERSCRIPT
- The introduction of the new Renderscript technology will make the biggest impact on how we view applications such as YouTube, e-Books and Music Player. Renderscript brings high performance interactive 3D graphics right to your fingertips with seamless and smooth functionality. The simplest of actions like flipping the pages of an e-book, or scrolling through the most recent videos on YouTube, this new technology will really raise the bar on performance with tabletss today.
ANDROID MARKET WEBSTORE
- The Android Market Webstore is a completely revamped Android Market which can be accessed via web browser on a PC, or tablet. The really innovative feature about this new Android Market is that you can make your purchases, for any one of your devices, directly from the Webstore. For example, say you’re on the Android Market Webstore with your Motorola XOOM Tablet and decide you really like the newest version of Angry Birds. You already have it on your tablet, but could really use on it your Samsung Nexus S. Click on the BUY NOW button, and you’ll have the option to “Install Device To” any one of your other Android devices set up on your Market Account. From that point you’ll receive a notification on your Samsung Nexus S that Angry Birds is now downloading to that device. It’s really just that easy.
- Upon selecting the app of your choice, you’ll be brought to the App Detail Page. This page gives you a bunch of options to choose from such as:
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- Application Overview
- User Reviews
- What’s New/Updates
- Permissions
- Screenshots
- Videos of Gameplay
- Tweet an Application
- Browse Other Apps by same Developer
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- The filter options on the Android Market Webstore have also been designed to make your app-browsing experience second to none. Sorting by device, popularity, etc, will enable you to slim down those results to bring you what you want faster and much more efficiently.
- The “My Market Account” will allow you manage your purchased and installed applications like you never could before. With capabilities such as installing apps to different devices on your account, naming your devices, and managing your overall collection of downloads to and from each device will give you a way to keep your applications much more organized in a tremendously simple manner
- If your interested in checking out the new Android Market Webstore, it is in fact live and available to use right now. Just visit market.android.com
BUYER CURRENCY SUPPORT
- You may have experienced a scenario where the currency rate for a specific application was different from your own, which may have either prevented you or just steered you away from buying an app that you really wanted. The time for cash confusion is over with the implementation of Buyer Currency Support. BCS will allow developers to enter explicit rates for their application(s) for all different regions so that the end user will can read the proper currency rate without any hassle or guessing.
IN-APP PURCHASING
- We’ve heard about it before, and while it’s still being implemented in many popular software titles today, in-app purchasing is easier than ever. Simply put, this feature will allow users to buy additional levels of a game, unlock new features, characters, songs… all while still in the actual application.
What we’ve seen of Honeycomb thus far is absolutely stunning. The smooth transitions of the OS along with the vibrant color schemes really show how hard the Android Developer team has been working to make the most bad-ass tablet OS than any other tablet on the market today. One thing is for sure, Apple sure better get their act together because Android 3.0 is going to set the new standard for multi-function, easy-to-use software.
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