A Brief Overview of the Android Honeycomb Operating System
Now that the iPad 2 is upon us everyone has eyes turned towards Google to see what they have conjured up to compete with Apple.
Honeycomb 3 is the answer Google has responded with and it is now the default operating system on most new Android tablets.
Honeycomb 3 is developed for tablets so it has lots of new technology to take advantage of the power of the CPU and the larger screen of a tablet.
Honeycomb is an extension of the mobile phone Android OS with enhanced multitasking, rich notifications, customizable home screens, widgets, and the list goes on. But Honeycomb transforms the user interface with a vibrant 3D experience and deeper interactivity, making them feel they are in familiar territory but even better than before.
As the new OS becomes more commonplace more applications will be created to specifically take advantage of the extra media potential and powerful graphics capabilities.
Honeycomb provides two new bars. The "Systems" and "Action" bar. The "systems bar" will always be shown along the bottom of the display. So if you are running an application the system bar will still be visible giving system information and updates (i.e. incoming mail etc)
The "Action bar" presents itself when you are running an application. The "action bar" will give you navigation options, general options and will be a key point on the screen for accessing app information.
Like all things Android you get the usual five home screens which can give you access to everything in Honeycomb. Users can place application shortcuts, widgets and wallpapers using Honeycomb's grid based orientation system.
There is now an enhanced version of the Android keyboard. The keys have been reshaped and repositioned for improved typing, and new keys have been added, such as a Tab key, to provide richer and more efficient text input. You can now switch from text/input modes through a special button in the system bar and touching and holding keys will bring up a menu of special characters.
Honeycomb now includes a variety of new connectivity options to greatly enhance the usability of an Android tablet. With support for cameras and MP3 files you can now easily sync your media files with a USB connected camera or PC without having to connect a USB hard drive. Another nice advantage is the ability to attach a full USB or Bluetooth keyboard.
Included in Honeycomb is a brand new browser. The new browser has features that lets users navigate and organize their workflow more efficiently. Multiple tabs replace browser windows and a new "incognito" mode allows anonymous browsing.
A two-pane email interface makes browsing and organizing emails a much more streamlined experience. Users can select one or more messages and then by using the Action bar they can delete them all or move them to a folder. A new email Widget allows for later viewing of attachments and keeping track of emails.
With the larger screen comes a redesigned camera application to take advantage of it. Users also now have more convenient access to the front facing camera, exposure, focus, flash, zoom and a few other extras. To let users capture scenes in new ways, it adds built-in support for time-lapse video recording. The Gallery application lets users view albums and other collections in full-screen mode, with easy access to thumbnails for other photos in the collection.
With large screen Android tablets people now have a choice. The Android range of tablets allows users to choose feature sets that will be of most use to them and they are no longer limited to one choice in the portable tablet range. If you want a smaller tablet that is more portable you have that option. If you need something bigger or something more powerful to play games on and be more productive then that is also available.
Tags: IT tech
