At their Mountain View headquarters, Google held a press event on February 2nd to show off their new “Android Honeycomb,” (code name) or Android 3.0, which is the company’s tablet-optimized operating system.
The new OS was made to compete with Apple’s iPad, which has seen a lot of popularity in the early tablet market. The Motorola Xoom will be the first Honeycomb-based tablet to launch, which should be coming out later this month in order to get a head start over other rivals. Google has completely redesigned the Honeycomb’s user interface, giving it more interactive widgets and notifications, easier multi-tasking, and mobile services optimized for tablets.
Along with the launch of the new Android Honeycomb, Google made another huge announcement that there will be a new Android Market web store that will let users download applications through their browser – a move taken in order for Google to compete with Apple’s ever-so-popular App Store.
Previously, only mobile devices were able to reach Google’s Android Market, but now you can access an abundance of apps through any standard web browser. Furthermore, not only are you able to peruse and purchase apps via the browser, but it also gives you the ability to install applications directly to your device – no cords are necessary; All cloud. And, last but not least, Google will be upping the currency offerings and improving currency seller support, as well.