Samsung and Toshiba to launch Honeycomb 3.1 tablets

News about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 spread across the web yesterday, leading to more questions about the upcoming tablet’s actual release date, its supported Android OS version, and its interface. The Galaxy Tab is expected to hit some Best Buy stores on June 8, with widespread availability on June 17. With Wi-Fi and 4G versions, an NVIDIA dual-core processor and an even thinner design than the iPad 2, Samsung’s upgraded quite a few features in its latest tablet offering. But questions still linger around its support of Honeycomb 3.1, Google’s most recent version of Android, as rumors surface that the platform upgrade may be facing delays, and whether Samsung incorporated its own TouchWiz skin in order to ship the Galaxy Tab with Honeycomb 3.1.

Either way, it seems a series of last-minute changes were made to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 release, emphasizing manufacturers’ dilemmas in producing Android-based devices for the masses. It boils down to fragmentation and consumer demand for OS upgrades, whether they occur before or after purchase. For Google, Android’s had a bumpy road in executing its smartphone and tablet platforms, delaying product releases in the past.

Toshiba wants it on Honeycomb 3.1
Samsung has been a supporter of Android’s platform for some time, among the first to launch a tablet for Google’s mobile OS. But Honeycomb 3.1 is encouraging other manufacturers to jump into the tablet game as well. Toshiba is seeking a smooth diversification beyond the laptop market with plans to release the Thrive, a 10.1-inch tablet running Honeycomb 3.1. The Thrive will feature a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, though it’s on the thicker side at 0.6 inches. You have a built-in HDMI out port, USB, mini USB and an SD card slot to blame for the thickness of Toshiba’s tablet, incorporating many laptop ports into the Thrive.

Toshiba’s aiming the Thrive at laptop lovers and mobile workers, including a number of cloud-based services pre-installed on the tablet. It’s reportedly to come with Log Me In software, providing access to home computer desktops, along with a file manager built on top of Android for browsing files stored on a USB device or SD card. There’s PrintShare software also installed on the Thrive, enabling users to print directly from the tablet, a feature competitive with iPad’s AirPrint and Samsung’s MobilePrint. Expect three sizes for the Thrive, indicating Toshiba’s immediate ambitions to appeal to the entire range of consumers.

There will be an 8GB, 16GB and 32GB tablet, priced at $429, $479 and $579 respectively. One major downside is all versions of the Thrive are Wi-Fi only.

Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi priced at $730 in UK

The primary concern that tech enthusiasts have had about the Motorola Xoom tablet is its price. Worries stem not only from how much it will cost, but how that cost will compare to Apple’s iPad, the Xoom’s most obvious direct competitor.

Motorola has officially unveiled the price of its Wi-Fi-only Xoom tablet PC: £450, or around $730. That puts the price of the Xoom Wi-Fi at £60 less than the going rate for the 32GB Wi-Fi-only iPad, and only £10 more than the 16GB iPad.

Additionally, T-Mobile Germany - which has exclusive carrier rights to the Xoom in that country - has also announced the Xoom’s price: €699.95 for the Wi-Fi + 3G model. This puts the Xoom at only 95 Euro cents above the 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad.

Reports from the middle of February indicate that the Xoom will be priced at $799 for the Wi-Fi + 3G model, available only through Verizon Wireless, and $600 for the Wi-Fi-only version.

Both models of the Motorila Xoom run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb, and measure 10.1-inches - slightly larger than the iPad - with a 1280×800 resolution display. The Xoom is powered by the 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, comes loaded with 1GB DDR2 RAM, and includes 32GB of internal storage for all models. The Motorola tablet also comes with two cameras, one front-facing (2MP), one back-facing (5MP), with an LED flash.

Motorola's Xoom iPad: 1st to pack Android 3.0 Honeycomb

When Steve Jobs strode onstage and unveiled the iPad in January of 2010, the news left nearly every other big computer and consumer-electronics maker racing to get into the tablet market that Jobs' iPad had suddenly created.

And the competition turned out to be a marathon. More than a year later, we're still talking about tablets that are huffing and puffing their way towards the showroom floor. There's RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, slated to arrive by the end of March. HP's Web OS-based TouchPad is due this summer. And dozens of other models are on their way. The pace has been so plodding that Apple's second-generation iPad, will apparently beat most other companies' first-generation models to market.

Then there's Motorola's Xoom, which goes on sale at Verizon retail locations, (today, Thursday). It's the first honest-to-goodness, no-qualifications-necessary iPad rival from a major manufacturer to hit stores. That's in large part because it's also the first to pack Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the operating system that Google designed specifically with tablets in mind. The Xoom has its fair share of raw edges, but it's a great leap beyond earlier Android-based tablets such as Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which took the unsatisfying shortcut of using earlier versions of Android that were meant for smartphones.

Verizon will sell the Xoom for $799.99, a hefty $300.99 premium over the current iPad's starting price of $499; you can get a $200 discount if you commit to two years' worth of data service. The pricing disparity between Motorola and Apple isn't as alarming as it looks at first blush, though. With its built-in Verizon wireless connection and 32GB of storage, the Xoom is most directly comparable to the $729 AT&T version of the iPad. And it has far beefier specs than any Apple tablet, including a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, and two cameras - a 2-megapixel model up front for Google Talk video calls and a 5-megapixel one in back for taking snapshots and capturing HD video.

The Xoom will also be a 4G wireless device, thanks to Verizon's zippy LTE network - but not until the second quarter of this year, according to Motorola. For now, it comes with 3G and the promise of a free upgrade. That's one of several telltale signs that it was rushed out the door. Adobe's Flash Player software, which will let Xoom owners get at Flash Web videos and games that don't work on the iPad, won't be ready for a few weeks. And there's a dormant slot for MicroSD memory cards that Motorola plans to enable it in an upcoming software update.

Even if the Xoom is a work in progress, it already does many things well. The tablet is sheathed in a plastic case rather than the iPad's aluminum, but it's pleasing to the eye and touch; slightly thinner than the iPad, the Xoom tips the scales at an identical 1.6 pounds. It also out-iPads the iPad by doing away with even that tablet's single physical button on the front. However, there's a button on the back - the power switch.

The display measures 10.1" diagonally, giving it a skosh more elbow room and more pixels than the iPad's 9.7" screen. When you meet a Xoom in person, though, the most striking difference is aspect ratio, not size. Apple's tablet has a 4:3 display that's reminiscent of a book or magazine; Motorola's has a 16:10 widescreen that makes it look more like a miniature HDTV.

The iPad's less exaggerated dimensions are superior for reading e-books and other text-centric tasks. But in landscape orientation, the Xoom's extra space makes for comfier typing on the on-screen keyboard. It's also well-proportioned for HD movies.

Adobe to offer Flash to Honeycomb Tablets soon

Adobe says Flash support for tablets based on Google's upcoming "Honeycomb" version of the Android operating system will be available "within a few weeks".

Honeycomb is the first version of Android designed for tablet PCs and is eagerly anticipated. Motorola's Xoom tablet will launch on Thursday as the first to run the software, but initial versions won't come with flash support. Verizon, which is putting it on sale, previously said Flash would be available in "spring 2011."

The vague time reference had people fearing flash wouldn't be available until the end of the season, but a posting on Adobe's blog points to a slightly earlier release.

"Consumers are clearly asking for Flash support on tablet devices and the good news is that they won't have to wait long. We are aware of over 50 tablets that will ship in 2011 supporting a full web experience including Flash support and Xoom users will be among the first to enjoy this benefit," wrote Matt Rozen, on Adobe's Flash Platform Blog.

Adobe said version 10.2 of its flash player will be offered as a download or preinstalled on some tablets launching later in 2011. Adobe has said that Flash Player 10.2 will offer users of dual-core tablets and smartphones HD Flash video and up to 30 frames per second video performance.

The blog posting appears to be aimed at a number of critics who have recently suggested it might put people off buying them.

Daniel Ionescu from PC World noted the Motorola Xoom is seen by many as the first real rival to Apple's iPad, yet it may be a "hard sell" due to its hefty US$800 price tag and lack of Flash.

Support for Adobe Flash Player software is seen as a major advantage for rivals to Apple's iPad because Apple has eschewed the technology, which has found widespread use as a video streaming format.

Steve Jobs listed several reasons why Apple does not allow Flash on iPods, iPhones or iPads in a public posting last April, including a drain on battery life and that more modern offerings work better.

Adobe defended itself by posting data of its own and taking out full page ads in major newspapers.

Adobe expects to see Flash installed on over 132 million devices by the end of this year, saying the company had raised its estimates for 2011.

Google to launch Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' soon

Google plans to launch Android 3.0, or "Honeycomb," at an event at its headquarters on Feb. 2.

Google sent out invitations to journalists on Friday, along with the new logo for the operating system - an Android-like honeybee. The new operating system is expected in several tablets; it isn't known whether Google will eventually bring the OS to smartphones.

Google released its Honeycomb software developers kit (SDK) on Wednesday, a good indication that the Honeycomb software was en route. Highlights of the SDK include: a UI framework for creating great apps for larger screen devices; high-performance 2D and 3D graphics; support for multicore processor architectures; rich multimedia; new types of connectivity; and enhancements for enterprise.

Honeycomb is expected to usher in a new generation of Android devices, although how successful they will be in the face of the iPad is anybody's guess. According to a recent IDC survey, price will be the distinguishing feature of Android tablets, not the new Honeycomb OS.

Google's Mike Cleron demonstrated Honeycomb on an unnamed tablet at this year's CES, where a number of tablets either used or pledged to use Honeycomb, including the Motorola Xoom, the LG G-Slate, and Eee-branded products from Asus.

Honeycomb was originally expected to require a powerful processor, but so far there apparently is no "hard" specification for processor requirements.

Android 3.0 coming In March

Weeks ago, Google took the wraps off of Android Gingerbread, the latest and greatest version of its mobile operating system. Aside from the newly launched Samsung Nexus S device, no phone even has the software yet - heck, plenty of users are still waiting for the Android 2.2 upgrade - but that's not stopping people from looking even further ahead.

They're looking, of course, toward Honeycomb - the next major stop on Google's Android development track. All signs point to Honeycomb bringing some significant changes to the Android OS; if everything goes as expected, it'll be the first version of Android to be fully optimized for tablets. And if a report published this week is correct, it'll make its way into the world in March.

The new Honeycomb release rumor comes from Taiwanese newspaper Digitimes. In the middle of a story about upcoming tablet PCs, Digitimes nonchalantly mentions a launch date for Android 3.0, which many people believe will be Honeycomb's official version number. That belief may or may not be correct, incidentally; some folks think Honeycomb will end up being Android 2.4. Google thus far hasn't given any official indication one way or the other.

Digitimes says: "MSI is prepared to sell an Nvidia Tegra 2-based model in April or May after Google releases Android 3.0 in March."

So does Digitimes know something we don't? Maybe - but I wouldn't place any wagers on it. The publication has a history of publishing tech-oriented rumors. Sometimes it's right on the money, but often, its predictions prove to be wrong.

That said, Google has confirmed that Honeycomb's coming in 2011, and an arrival sometime within the first quarter seems like a fairly safe bet. Marketing's already underway for an upcoming Motorola Android tablet, and the promotional materials make it quite clear that Honeycomb will be part of the equation. Motorola says the tablet will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January; there's no telling, however, when it'll actually go on sale.

We've seen a prototype of a Motorola tablet up and running. Google Android chief Andy Rubin demoed the device during a mobile conference in San Francisco earlier this month. The tablet had virtual on-screen buttons in place of the hardware controls typically seen on Android phones. It was also capable of running multiple side-by-side application panes to take advantage of the larger screen space.