honeycomb - 32/36 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

[Recap] Missed Today's Honeycomb Event? Here's All You Need To Know + Watch It In Full On YouTube

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Google, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, Videos, XOOM

Today has definitely been one of the more exciting days this year, at least in the Android department. Last week, Google sent out invitation for a Honeycomb-related event, where we, of course, were expecting detailed walkthroughs of Android 3.0 and hands-on with the Motorola XOOM.

Rumors of the web store that was promised almost a year ago as well as Google Music, teased at the same time at Google I/O last year, were flying, and one of them definitely came true today - we've finally got ourselves a web-based Market with over-the-air app installations.

Instead of Google Music, we got a different present in the form of in-app purchases, which will, hopefully, put an end to multiple variations of apps (Lite, keys, Demo, etc), help curb piracy, and allow for easier microtransactions within existing aps and games.

Feb

Google Body For Honeycomb Official - It's The 'Google Maps Of Human Anatomy'

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Google, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2

As part of today's Honeycomb- and "Android ecosystem"-event, Google demoed Renderscript - a new 3D graphics library in Android. And part of their demo? A new application called Google Body, aka the "Google Maps of human anatomy."

It looks like it'll be a pretty cool way to explore the human body - just like Maps, you can strip away layers (i.e. skin, bones, etc.), rotate it in 3D, and search for body parts before having them highlighted in the app. Sweet - I can already hear the sound of science teachers across the nation screaming for joy.

Feb

SwiftKey Announces A Tablet-Optimized, Tron-Inspired Honeycomb Keyboard

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News, Videos

We can't say we didn't see it coming, considering we saw this preview of the tablet-optimized SwiftKey keyboard during CES, but what SwiftKey is announcing today looks quite a bit different, to say the least.

Allow me to introduce Swiftkey Tablet - a tablet-only Honeycomb keyboard set to launch around the same time as the Motorola XOOM tablet. Sticking with the 3-way-split design, the new holographic look reminds me quite a bit of Tron. If you watch the video below, you'll see that the UI is quite... magical, with suggestions floating up when clicked. The dual space bar design and the presence of arrow keys are very welcomed as well.

Feb

[Updated: OTA Installations Are Here!] Google Announces Android Market Web Store - Online Now At Market.Android.Com

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Apps/Games, Google

Oh yes, those juicy rumors about an online version of the Market were true - the "Android Market Web Store," as Google is calling it, is accessible now via market.android.com.

As you can see, a list of featured/best selling games populates the front page, along with a list of categories, a "Sign in" button (~~which, at the time of this writing, leads to an 'invalid request error'~~), and a "Search" function. Once you click on one of the apps, you are taken to a page somewhat like the one in the second screenshot, with a description, links to "Overview," "User Reviews," "What's New," and "Permissions" on top, as well as a list of related apps on the left side and a QR code and a "Tweet" button on the right side.

Feb

"Monster Madness" And "Great Battles" Demoed On Honeycomb Tablet, Coming Within A Month

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Games, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

We've already seen a few apps shown off at Google's live Honeycomb event, including two 3D games that take full advantage of both cores on the Tegra 2 processor. Monster Madness, ported from the PS3 to Android, is a hack and slash game with amazing 3D graphics and destructible environments, while Great Battles is an epic RTS that's also called an "educational game." While that doesn't sound that cool, just take a look at the pictures of the game in action. If this is what we can expect from Tegra 2 games, gaming on Android is about to get a whole lot better - and apparently sooner rather than later, as both games are expected to be released within a month.

Feb

[Updated: It's Back] Android Market Currently Experiencing Downtime - A Sign Of Things To Come?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Google, News

Update: And it's back, with no noticeable changes. Nonetheless, we'll be sure to let you know if and when Google announces something Market-related - stay tuned!

We don't want to jump to conclusions here, but it's February 2nd - the day of Google's Honeycomb- and "Android ecosystem"-related event, and the Market is currently experiencing downtime. It makes perfect sense given the rumors we've been hearing about an upcoming update to the Market, though it could, of course, be nothing more than scheduled maintenance. We hope we'll find out exactly what this is about later today - whatever it is, we'll keep you updated (pun intended)!

Feb

T-Mobile Releases Details And Images Of The LG G-Slate Honeycomb Tablet

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, Optimus Pad / G-Slate, T-Mobile

Just before tomorrow's Honeycomb event, T-Mobile is out to steal the spotlight with their G-Slate Honeycomb tablet that was announced at CES earlier this year. Back then, we had virtually no details other than the fact that it was running Android 3.0, but tonight, T-Mobile's spilling the beans:

8.9" HD display
3D capable with glasses
Dual stereoscopic cameras for 1080p 3D video recording, as we've already figured out
5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash
2 megapixel front-facing camera
HSPA+ capable
Gyroscope and Accelerometer
32 GB internal storage
HDMI out
NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor
Android 3.0 Honeycomb

What is highly disappointing about the G-Slate is the silver band that looked very much like a kickstand seems to be just a cosmetic element.

Jan

LG's Oh-So-Secret G-Slate 3D Tablet Shows Up In A Random YouTube Video Yet Again, Shows Off Kickstand (?), Dual Cameras

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in LG, News, Optimus Pad / G-Slate, T-Mobile, Videos

The G-Slate Honeycomb tablet, announced at CES, was never shown off to the public outside of this weak T-Mobile video which just embedded the official Honeycomb intro into a dark G-Slate frame. Last week, the tablet made a brief and fuzzy appearance in a random Korean music video, seemingly confirming previous rumors of a 3D camera.

Today, we are seeing it again in an even more random creation - a homemade video by MysteryGuitarMan. Dual cameras for recording 3D - check, LED flash - check (though only one), what looks to be a kickstand - check (seriously, nobody has thought of putting a kickstand into a tablet before?

Jan

Google To Give An In-Depth Look At Honeycomb, Android Ecosystem News At Event Feb 2nd

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Development, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

Next Wednesday, Google will be holding a press event to showcase Honeycomb and discuss Android at large. Team Android is going to give attendees an "in-depth look" at Honeycomb, news regarding the Android ecosystem, and a number of hands-on opportunities while at Google headquarters in Mountain View.

The presentation will be streamed live at www.youtube.com/android starting at 10AM next Wednesday, so everyone will get a chance to tune in for the latest and greatest in the world of Android and Honeycomb.

Considering this is being labeled a press event, it's probably just an opportunity for Google to give Honeycomb some hands-on exposure to the major media outlets and blogs alike.

Jan

Hands-On Preview Of Android 3.0 'Honeycomb': The Android Tablet Era Begins Now

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Honeycomb is one of the biggest updates in Android history, so naturally, I jumped at the chance to try it out via the newly released Android 3.0 "preview SDK." What I found certainly wasn't disappointing - though it's important to remember that this is just a preview, meaning that not everything is in working order (for example, the emulator is so slow it made me want to tear my hair out at times, not to mention the frequent force close messages). Join us below for our first impressions of the new UI elements and other features found in Android 3.0 "Honeycomb."

The emulator's bootscreen is the same as it was for Android 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, etc.