UPDATED (19/9): The new Google OS kit
A bevy of manufacturers have announced Android 3.0 devices at CES in Las Vegas this year, so we've put together a simple and easy to understand list, featuring all the devices that have been confirmed as Honeycomb (Android 3.0) ready.
We will try to update this list as we hear more details of devices that are running the new Google Android Operating System but, so far, here they all are listed in alphabetical order by manufacturer.
Acer Iconia Tab A500
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 connects on the Verizon LTE network in the States and you can pick it up in the UK for a fairly cut price ?349.99. It’s got a 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with a Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual core processor running the show and an Android OS to pull it all together - but not without an Acer UI (4.5) over the top. Flash 10.1 support and 1080p playback is included too.
Beyond that, you get?16GB of internal storage, no 3G unless you go for the A501 variant, but plenty of other connections in terms of?Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1, and it also taps into Acer's clear.fi media sharing platform as well.?It has a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a 2-megapixel one on the front.
Acer Iconia Tab A100
There's an old saying in the tablet world that runs "if a device is worth doing in 10 inches, it's worth doing in 7 as well". There is actually no such saying, but there ought to be and Acer has proved so by bounding straight from its non-failure with the A500 to a smaller Honeycomb version called the Acer Iconia Tab A100.
You get HDMI-out, USB, Wi-Fi, a little storage here and there, and all the essentials as well as a?600x1024 resolution display, Nvidia GPU and dual core processor to run the show. You can pick one of these SOBs up for around ?300.
Asus Eee Pad MeMo
Taking on the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Asus Eee Pad MeMo will feature a 7-inch capacitive display, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset.
Running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) the new tablet will offer 1080p playback and offer support for a stylus.?It will come with dual cameras for video calling, and feature a MeMIC media phone extender, along with a mini HDMI to hook-up to your TV.
It was supposed to debut in June, but June has passed and MeMo looks to have evaporated into vapour-ware.
-?Asus Eee Pad MeMo, Eee Slate EP121, Eee Pad Transformer and Eee Pad Slider tablets debut
Asus Eee Pad Slider
The Asus Eee Pad Slider is a tablet with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard similar to the HTC Shift from some years ago. Essentially it has the same 10.1-inch IPS 1280x800 display as the Transformer.
The new Eee Pad Slider weighs 886 grams, is 16.7mm thick and comes with Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core processor. Android 3.0 ready, it offers the same two camera setup, wireless n connectivity and same Adobe Flash 10.1 support as the Transformer.?
It was supposed to debut in May but it's now been put back to the end of September. We won't be holding our breath.
-?Asus Eee Pad MeMo, Eee Slate EP121, Eee Pad Transformer and Eee Pad Slider tablets debut
Asus Eee Pad Transformer
The company has also launched the Eee Pad Transformer. It will sport a 10.1-inch 1280x800 IPS touchscreen display that can be connected to a keyboard instantly turning it into a laptop. Like the Eee Pad MeMo, it will also run Android 3.0.
Specs include dual cameras (1.2 megapixels and 5 megapixels), wireless n, USB, Bluetooth and built-in card reader. It will come with 1080p playback, supporting Adobe Flash 10.1 and be powered by an Android-savvy Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core processor.?It's out now as the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 and TF101G.
Asus Eee Pad Transformer 2
So pleased has Asus been with the reception of the Transformer that chairman Jonney Shih has already announced another one, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer 2. Word is that the original?tablet?is set for a quad-core Tegra 3 powered facelift.
Other than that, there is little solid fact to go on in terms of hardware as of yet. The original Eee Pad Transformer is still a tempting offer, however, with a powerful dual-core Tegra 2 chip and solid IPS display. Don't forget as well that at ?420 you get a tablet and keyboard dock, meaning a wholly decent laptop alternative.?Expect more on the Transformer 2 as the rumour mill begins to spin.
Dell Streak Pro
This one is still just a rumour but it's on fairly good authority. Despite a few flirtings with Froyo tabs here and there and some Windows 7-based business, a leaked Dell road map shows the very near existence of a 10-inch Honeycomb tablet known as the Dell Streak Pro.?It's said to have an Nvidia Tegra T20 processor running at 1GHz with?1GB DDR2 RAM to back it up.
We're expecting a total weight of?720g, a 2-megapixel camera for the front and a 5-megapixel rear-mounted cam. There will also be a range of coloured skins released by Dell - in?black, pink, blue and red?- for users to customise their Streak Pro.?There will be 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions, with an SDHC card slot for good measure. And its battery promises 12 hours of use before needing a recharge. Bluetooth 2.1 and?Wi-Fi802.11n are included.
HTC Jetstream
Having decided not to go Honeycomb with its first flash into the tablet space, HTC has finally jumped in two footed with the announcement of the HTC Jetstream. It has a bright?WXGA HD display,?an 8-megapixel camera and, inside,?a Snapdragon 1.5GHz?dual?core?processor?and LTE/HSPA connectivity. It will also support 1080p playback and capture.
It runs the Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) and, like the company’s 7-inch offering, the HTC Flyer, the Jetstream will work with the company’s stylus - the HTC Scribe.?The HTC Jetstream is available in the US now, and although nothing is confirmed, is expected to make it to the UK at some point soon.
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet/Think Slate
Another one that's taken a while to actually exist is the Lenovo IdeaPad K1 complete with its Android Honeycomb OS. Aimed at the consumer market, it's?a Western revamp of Lenovo's LePad that has been on sale in China since January.?It's an Nvidia Tegra 2 powered 10.1-inch tab that has a 1280x800 resolution, runs Android 3.1 and is Netflix certified.
It's a bit beefier than the?Galaxy?Tab 10.1 at 740g, but it does offer a number of high profile apps loaded up thanks to partnerships with the likes of EA and Adobe. If you like the sound of it, then the good news is that it's?out now ?369 for the 16GB version.
LG G-Slate/Optimus Pad (updated)
The T-Mobile branded LG G-slate made its debut at the Las Vegas-based CES show in January 2011, but at the time we didn't know much about it. We now know that the Honeycomb device has 3D capability and sports a dual core Tegra 2 chipset as well as 4G connectivity. It has an 8.9-inch screen and can capture full HD 1080p and 3D video.
A UK version, known as the Optimus Pad, was unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona. It landed in late April and is pretty much identical to the G-Slate, including the 3D recording capability (although the screen itself isn't 3D capable).
Medion Lifetab P9514
Medion used IFA 2011 as a platform to announce its new Android tablet, packing proper (i.e. not old) versions of Google's OS and looking anything but budget.?Pocket-lint took a trip over to the Medion booth to see the new toys in action, but sadly we weren't allowed to take pics of the tablet, so you'll just have to take our word for it when we say that they didn't look half-bad.
The tablet - the Medion Lifetab P9514 - is the latest 10-incher to join the Tegra 2 party, packing Nvidia's chip to run Honeycomb 3.2. It weighs 720g and will initially come in just one storage size flavour - although it hasn't yet been decided if that's 16GB or 32GB.?It comes pre-loaded with Docs to Go, has HDMI and USB connectivity, along with Wi-Fi and UMTS/HSDPA, and will even play nicely with your home network thanks to its DLNA capabilities. We're expecting to see it in Q4 but for how much, we don't know.
Motorola Xoom
We knew it was coming and there’s been no disappointment with the launch of the Motorola Xoom. It’s a 10.1-inch, Android Honeycomb tablet with a 16:10 aspect, HD, 1280 x 800 display that’ll playback 1080p video and capture at 720p through a 5-megapixel camera.
At its heart beats a 1GHz dual core Tegra 2 chipset with connections via 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and even a decent sized 32GB lump of on-board storage as well. The first wave came out in Q1 without LTE supporting but the Q2 updates are fully 4G and finally have that microSD card slot working as well. Throw in 10 hours of pure video battery life and we reckon everyone’s happy.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Samsung has gone ballistic for Android Honeycomb tablets in 2011 and the first of the family to bolt out of the stables was the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The legal situation surrounding it and its friends we'll leave to one side for now, but what you're looking at is?a tablet with a 1280x800 LCD screen powered by an Nvidia Tegra 2 chip, 1GB of RAM and up to 64GB of storage if you’re willing to shell out top whack.
There’s a 3G option on top of the Wi-Fi, cameras to the front and rear of 2 megapixels and 3 megapixels respectively and it’ll output 720p video for y’all to enjoy. It measures?256.7 x 175.3 x 8.6mm, weighs 565g and is generally so much like the iPad that Apple has decided to take Samsung to court globally on the matter.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9
Samsung also has another tablet device called the 8.9 that, as the name suggests, has an 8.9-inch screen (not to be confused with the 8.9mm depth of the Galaxy Tab 10.1). The 8.9 tablet is thinner still, with a svelte profile measuring just 8.6mm.
Sporting Samsung's TouchWiz on top of the Honeycomb OS, the 8.9 weighs in at 470g and has a 1280x800-pixel display along with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor after a recent update which also added 4G connectivity. The 8.9 comes with a rear-facing 3 megapixel camera as well as a 2 megapixel camera on the front, along with 720p video capture capability. You can pick one up for around ?420.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 officially skinny
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Google I/O edition)
Just to confuse you, technically, there is a second version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and that's the pure Android (i.e., no Touch-Wiz interface) version of the 10-inch slate. Whether or not you'll be able to get hold of one (unless you were lucky enough to be at Google I/O 2011 in San Francisco) remains to be seen but, fortunately, Pocket-lint was on hand to snap some rather tasty shots.
Aside the nice big screen, there's a 8-megapixel camera with flash on the back, Samsung proprietary USB port but no SD slot and no HDMI connector either. Ah well, can't have it all.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7
Samsung announced a?Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7?at?IFA 2011 as it continued its tablet push along with updating the original Galaxy Tab at the same time.?The new model features a Super?AMOLED?screen, a 1.4GHz processor and it runs Android 3.2 with Samsung's own Touch Wiz tablet interface on board.
Other specs include a 5100mAh, 10-hour-for-video-playback battery, 1080p video playback?and storage options of 8, 16, 32 and 64GB models with an SD card slot to boost it even further.?Those wanting a forward facing camera will get one in the guise of a 2 megapixel offering with Samsung playing it lowbrow on the back with a 3 megapixel rear camera. Sadly, the 7.7 was pulled from the Berlin show but expect it to make an appearance once legalities have been ironed out.
Sony Tablet S
What were known as the S1 and S2 have become the S and the P, and it's this one - the Sony Tablet S - that's the more traditionally tablety of the two.?It has a wedge-shaped design that looks a little like a folded newspaper and it’s noticeably lighter in the hand than rival?tablets?at 598g.?Sony’s differentiation comes by sucking in the world around you, so the Tablet S goes beyond just offering you DLNA connectivity by making it a seriously smooth experience.
The 1280 x 800 9.4-inch display looks sharp and at its core you have the power of the 1GHz Tegra 2 chipset, also in most other rival devices. There's also?an SD card slot and Micro-USB, but no HDMI. There's both?Wi-Fi and 3G versions with 16 or 32GB memory options and it's set to land at the end of September, with a ?399 price tag.
Sony Tablet P
While the?Tablet S?sports a "folded magazine" design, the clamshell design of the?Tablet?P is likely to be more controversial. 3G comes as standard on this?380g,?5.5-inch screen device which offers up a still very sharp 1024x480 resolution on each side.?As a clamshell design, you have two screens and, depending on what app you choose to use, they’ll either work together or separately.
The Sony Tablet P is, naturally, PlayStation Certified so you’ll find Crash Bandicoot pre-installed if that’s what you want to play.?Connectivity is still a little on the light side, only offering a Micro-USB connection and, whilst you get the DLNA connected features to shoot movies onto your TV, you don’t get the IR remote control functions found on the S. It's all run by a Tegra 2 SoC with an internal memory of 4GB which you can bolster with microSD. ?479 when it launches just before Christmas.
Toshiba AT200 - Excite
After a bit of to and fro since Toshiba first mooted a Honeycomb tablet at CES 2011, the company has finally come out with something solid 8 months later at IFA. This is the Toshiba AT200 or Excite to its friends. It's a?10.1-inch Honeycomb (3.2) tablet that will come with a 1280x800 resolution screen, 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor, with 1GB of RAM and storage up to 64GB.
You get a 5-megapixel rear-facing?camera, as well as a forward-facing one for video calling and, at just 7.7mm thick, it's one of the thinnest tablets on the block to date - over 1mm thinner than the iPad 2, as it goes. It also weighs just 558 grams with dimensions of 256 x 176 x 7.7mm.?Toshiba is promising 8 hours of battery life from a single charge.
Toshiba AT100 - Thrive
The original Toshiba tablet from the beginning of the year has itself just made an appearance on shop shelves. The Toshiba Thrive or AT100?packs a 10.1-inch screen that's sporting the Resolution+ bright light reflecting contrast feature, along with a 1280x800 resolution, and boasts 1GB of RAM with 16GB of internal memory.
Processing is via the 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 chip and the cameras are 5-megapixel at the rear and 2-megapixel up front.?It's got HDMI, SD, Mini-USB, USB, IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and battery life is a decent 7 hours. You can pick one up for around ?300 but you might want to wait for the thinner AT200 to turn up instead.
ViewSonic ViewPad 7x
Who said Honeycomb tablets have to be at least 10 inches on the diagonal? ViewSonic seems to have managed to pack the regulation screen resolution into a smaller, 7-inch device known as the?ViewSonic ViewPad 7x.
Arriving at Computex 2011, the ViewPad 7x has an?Nvidia Tegra 2 chip - dual-core of course - two cameras for front and back recording action, HSPA+ and good support on the connectivity front. It weighs 380g, comes with a funky back design, and features DLNA and?HDMI?support for sharing media with your TV. It should be out in the next couple of months for around ?299.
Tags: Tablets Android Honeycomb Toshiba Asus Motorola Acer Dell LG Rolling Asus Eee Pad MeMo Asus Eee Pad Slider Asus Eee Pad Transformer Motorola Xoom Acer Iconia Tab A500 Dell Streak 7 LG G-Slate LG Optimus Pad Sasmung Android Honeycomb Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9
Honeycomb: What devices are Android 3.0 ready? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:12:00 +0100
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