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Year: 2011
Products: iPad

Apple iPad, Google Honeycomb, and the era of portable Internet

Google introduced the third version of its Android operating system, called Honeycomb, in early January 2011, and this version was eagerly awaited precisely because it was supposed to be the answer to Apple’s iPad tablet. However, although this “battle” is often seen as Google versus Apple, we are missing the point that it is more of a battle for Microsoft’s future, where its rivals are the holders of the most incredible versions of the future: Google and Apple. We can root for one or the other, but the fact is that someone we are used to seeing confidently at the front of the pack is standing nearby, watching in amazement. So if the question is which Linux distribution will crush Microsoft, the most likely answer so far is: Android.

Honeycomb is Android designed for tablets, and that is supposed to be its main selling point. Although there were a number of tablets on the market offering Android versions 1.6 to 2.0, Google itself warned a few months ago that regular Android is not suitable for tablets, as people would expect slightly different behavior from larger devices than what Android 2.0 offers.

This “minor difficulty” should be resolved with version 3, but with the caveat that Honeycomb is exclusively for tablets, not mobile phones. The merger of the “tablet” and “phone” versions comes with the fourth version of Android, which will appear on the market with the first phones at the end of 2011.

In the case of Honeycomb, it is the operating system itself (unlike the iPad), and it is up to the manufacturers to decide which features to implement with which hardware. The new tablet models from Motorola, Samsung, and LG, introduced alongside the system, looked extremely impressive. The Motorola Xoom even adds a barometer, although it is not entirely clear what the pressure gauge in the device will be used for, apart from current weather forecasting, which tablets have so far replaced by downloading forecasts from the internet.

One of the most interesting features of Honeycomb, apart from the expected ones such as HD video support, cameras, etc., is probably synchronization. Using your Google Account, the tablet will recognize which Android mobile phone you are still using and synchronize all your apps and settings. You then have the same thing on your tablet as on your phone, including apps, with the added bonus that tablet apps can be adapted to higher resolutions. Of course, if you don’t want an app on a particular device, you can remove it manually. When you switch from your phone to your tablet, you find yourself in roughly the same state as when you stopped working with the app and phone on your phone.

“Appearance” is one of Honeycomb’s main strengths. Let’s admit that Android 2.x had its visual shortcomings on tablets, especially when compared to the iPad. Honeycomb is further ahead in this respect. For example, running applications are clearly visible in a special multitasking toolbar, and the display of widgets has been improved, allowing them to present data directly on the home screen. And let’s not forget that the controls have been redesigned so that no buttons are required. This is apparently a goal that Apple is also working on; the new iPad will likely have one less control button, with the Home button falling victim to cost-cutting measures.

Android 3 has also worked on notifications. These have been a long-standing weakness of Android; there are often too many of them, and they frequently frustrate users with their uselessness. The third version changes the graphics, allowing notifications to bubble up in the lower right corner, and reduces the number of statuses that can bubble up here. Thirdly, it allows such notifications to be enriched with graphics, such as player controls.

Other features include greater customization of the home screen, a redesigned virtual keyboard, improved copy-paste, 2D and 3D acceleration, and better support for multi-core processors. There are also interesting commercial improvements, such as the ability to order paid features directly within the program, for example, purchasing additional levels for a game directly from within that game.

It was only with Honeycomb that a real alternative to the iPad appeared on the market. But by then, Apple already had a successor.

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