Android Honeycomb 3.1 Features And Updates

At the Google IO conference they announced a ton of new services and brand new information for Android. In particular, to the tablet computer interests, there will be updates to the current Honeycomb 3.0 Operating System and here’s what to expect.

Android Honeycomb 3.1 Features And Updates

Once a year, Google has a conference where they announce all their upcoming projects, services and updates. And this year is going to be gangbusters for Google but more specifically it’s going to be a banner year for Honeycomb. So what is in store and what are the features that you can expect to see in the next Android for tablet updates.

One of the first thing announced in Honeycomb 3.1 is sizable home screen widgets which adds additional customization to your tablet by being able to stretch them to fit your personal needs and then they announced support for additional devices such as keyboards, mice, trackpads and other inputs such as game controllers. What is interesting is the support for mice. Currently, on the iPad, there is no support for any input device other than a stylus or an external Bluetooth keyboard.

Having mouse support would be great on a tablet as it seems that quite often when you have your tablet propped up on a stand and you are typing away, you really want to reach for a mouse to navigate with. If Honeycomb 3.1 delivers this then it will be interesting to see if we will see it on the Xoom or Tab.

Another announcement in 3.1 focuses on multitasking and more smoother transitions. Crashes have plagued the Android tablets and most of the time it’s due to the the multitasking that still has to be worked on but it sounds like that is going to occur.

Another major addition to Honeycomb will probably be the beta launch of Google’s new cloud-based music service. Thus, from your tablet you may be able to store and access all of your music from the cloud using the Android music player and thus decreasing the amount of storage and syncing needed.

If you are a Verizon customer, you can actually get Honeycomb 3.1 today!