This post was published 14 years ago. Due to the rapidly evolving world of technology, some material it contains may no longer be applicable.
Google has announced the preview release of the Android 3.0 SDK to satisfy developers’ appetites for new Honeycomb-flavoured apps. The release allows developers to develop new tablet applications for Honeycomb and test existing application compatibility.
Android 3.0 is being optimised for tablet devices, with the SDK having an updated user interface framework. Google says that will allow developers to make use of the larger screen sizes available on the overgrown smartphones that are tablets. There are updates to 2D and 3D graphics rendering, including a built-in GL renderer along with a new 3D engine called Renderscript.
Perhaps the most important feature in Android 3.0 is its support for multi-core processors, meaning developers can actually make use of the multi-core chips designed by ARM that appeared in many tablets and smartphones at CES earlier this month.
At CES, Google picked Motorola to show off its Android 3.0 operating system. The first public demonstration of Android 3.0, Honeycomb, was shown on the upcoming Motorola Xoom tablet, garnering widespread approval.
From watching short previews of the Xoom it was clear that Android 3.0 resolves many of the shortcomings of Android running on existing tablet devices. Overall the operating system just seemed more comfortable with the larger screen than it was before. With Mobile World Congress less than a month away, industry attention will turn to what manufacturers such as Samsung and LG do with Android 3.0.
In the meantime, punters in the market for a tablet might want to hold off, as it is clear that Android 3.0 will give both developers and consumers what they want, an alternative to the iPad.
Source: http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1940018/google-releases-android-sdk-preview#ixzz1CG8YI9sW
