Android 3.0 has specifically optimized many applications, like UI, Gmail, multiple tabbed web pages and many others for large screens and of course has added many new applications. The UI gives a total new look with redesigned widgets. With Honeycomb, the tablets do not need physical buttons; the soft buttons appear on the bottom of the screen regardless of which way you orient the device.

The new features include 3D transition, bookmark syncing, private browsing, pinned widgete create your own widget for individuals in the contact list, video chat using Google Talk and auto-form fill. It has integrated the redesigned YouTube for 3D, tablet optimized eBooks, Google Map 5.0 with 3D interaction, wallpapers and many of the updated Android phone applications. The home screen can be customized and scrollable.

Android fully optimized the large screen to provide smooth multitasking experience with multiple user panels that appear side by side. The redesigned Gmail displays the folders, contacts and messages side by side in columns. Also with the new Gmail application, you can open more messages from the inbox in new panes while keeping you active view intact on the screen. The new panes will appear side by side.

Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha wowed the crowd at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show with the Motorola Atrix 4G, an Android 2.2 smartphone that docked into a special laptop unit. This set-up lets mobile road warriors port their phone content to a larger screen and access documents and other content via the Mozilla Firefox browser. Asus Chairman Jonney Shih followed that act May 30 at the Computex IT conference in Taipei, Taiwan, with the Asus Padfone, a hybrid device that lets users connect an Android smartphone to a tablet dock. Asus pitches the Padfone as follows: "It is a first-of-its-kind innovation that allows you to switch seamlessly between pad and phone for a user experience that best fits your activities, at any time. Internet access from the 3G network connection is shared between the phone and pad, as data storage is streamlined through a single storage pool." That sounds like a lot of fun to us, but we wonder what it will cost. Details on that are forthcoming from the company. We also don't know just how popular these so-called convergent devices will be, considering that people tend to be pretty happy with their existing, separate smartphones and tablets. Word on the Atrix 4G is that most people are buying the phone, but not the laptop dock it comes with.

The Motorola Xoom was definitely the best tablet announced during the CES 2011. The Xoom is expected to hit the stores sometime in May as a 3G+WiFi tablet, with an upgrade to 4G LTE sometime later in 2011 in the States. However, now it looks like Motorola will ship a Wi Fi only version of the Xoom as well.

Motorola's Latin America General Manager, Maurizio Angelone has told Infobae that Motorola will ship the WiFi only version of the Xoom a whole month before the 3G+WiFi version of the device hit the stores.

The Motorola Xoom features a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1280x800. The tablet is based on the Nvidia Tegra 2 platform which includes a dual core Cortex A9 based 1 GHz processor. The back of the tablet sports a 5MP camera with dual LED flash while there is a 2MP camera in the front for video calling. The Xoom runs on the tablet version of Android Honeycomb. Readers can find out the whole specs of Motorola Xoom here.

In other Xoom related news, Motorola expects the Xoom to set the sales chart on fire. According to DigiTimes, the company has ordered 800,000 to 900,000 units of the Xoom with four varying colors. The company expects the order of the Xoom to reach as high as a million in the first quarter of 2011.http://techie-buzz.com/gadgets-news/motorola-xoom-wi-fi-version-coming-soon.html

Samsung just announced the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and we took the tweener tablet for a spin. As the name suggests, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 features an 8.9 inch display. It's essentially the same device as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that we saw introduced last month at Mobile World Congress but with a smaller screen (Update: Sorry if I wasn't clear before, the Tab 10.1 has been redesigned since MWC to be thinner and lighter and the camera was downgraded). You're still getting the dual core processor, 1280 x 800 resolution, 8 3-megapixel rear camera, front-facing camera, WiFi, GPS, 3G support and it will probably land with some form of 4G in the United States.

The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is aiming for a niche audience, as those who want real portability may opt for the 7-inch version and those home tablet users may as well get the larger-screen version because the price difference will be negligible. Still, you can hold this one in one hand relatively comfortably. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 you see below is actually a prototype version, as the final version will be thinner and even lighter (Update: We swapped out the prototype shots for pics of what should be near-final).

Just as interesting, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 (and the rest of the line) will run Android 3.0 with Samsung's TouchWiz UX. This is the first time we have seen Honeycomb with a custom skin and don't worry pure Android fans, this skin doesn't monkey too much with the tablet optimized version of Android.

The TouchWiz UI for Android adds some live tiles to the home page and the notification bar in the bottom right corner now has toggles for things like GPS and WiFi. You can also swipe up from the bottom to reveal a tray of apps which are customizable. Like the Motorola Xoom, you can get quick access to your apps and customize your homescreen by hitting the icons on the top right.

http://www.intomobile.com/2011/03/23/handson-samsung-galaxy-tab-89-ctia-2011/

Samsung has just announced two new Galaxy Tabs at their on-going event in CTIA. One Tab will come with a 10.1-inch screen, while another one will come with an 8.9-inch screen.

Samsung did announce the Galaxy Tab 10.1 at the Mobile World Congress last month, but the company has actually improved the product since then in a bid to make it an iPad killer. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is thickness is virtually the same as that of the Galaxy S II (8.6 mm), making it thinner than the recently announced iPad 2.

The 10.1 Tab has a PLS display with WXGA (1280x800) display. It is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor and packs 1GB of RAM. The back of the tab features a 3MP camera with Auto-Focus and an LED flash, while there is a 2MP camera in the front for video calling. The usual GPS with A-GPS, Bluetooth, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Ambient Light Sensor and a 3.5mm audio jack are all present. The tablet supports HSPA+ for speeds of up to 21Mbps.

The Tab 10.1 has dual-Wi-Fi antennas and supports both 2.4GHz and the 5GHz bands. The tablet has a whopping 6800mAh battery for up to 10 hours of video playback and weighs in only 595grams.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb with Samsung's TouchWIZ 4.0 UI on top of it. The tablet will be released on June 8 in some regions of the world. The 16GB Wi-Fi version will cost only $499 while the 32GB version will cost $599.
http://techie-buzz.com/gadgets-news/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-specs-features-price-2.html

In a bid to face the new market challenges posed by Apple's new iPad2, Asus has launched a sleek tablet powered by Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS. Pet named EEE Pad Transformer, this 10.1 inch tablet is notable for the optional keyboard bundled with it.

The keyboard is lighter and usable than other keyboard docking options due to its flexibility and light weight. When detached from the keyboard, the tab simply acts as a 10-1 inch screen with touch sensitive screen for flexible use.

Users can shoot videos in a flexible manner using the rear camera, while the front camera aids crystal clear video chat sessions. However, when plugged back to the keyboard, it functions as a full-fledged laptop.

The EEE Pad Transformer gives a range of options like ten finger touch, Flash supported video viewing and e-booking reading functionality. The keyboard comes with all standard connectivity options like USB ports and HDMI out port.

Further, if you suddenly find your tab running out of power, the keypad can also work as a power source. You can just plug it in and continue enjoying the EEE Pad Transformer experience.

Right now available is only in Taiwan, and it can be pre-ordered now. Don't worry, it will soon launch in the US. Though the exact prices of the rig in the US market is yet to be disclosed, the 16 GB version of EEE Pad Transformer is available for $500 at Taiwan.

Bundled with the keyboard, it costs $600. However, this 10.1 incher is not the lone answer from Asus to challenge iPad2. They will soon roll out two more models too.
http://www.gizmocrave.com/5501-asus-eee-pad-transformer-10-1-android-tablet-to-come-to-us-soon/

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