Google already dominates a significant part of my life, but it hasn’t really infiltrated my living room just yet. The search engine giant wants to do that and that’s why it has just launched the all-new Google TV 2.0. This follows in the footsteps of the original Google TV launched last year, but it comes with some new hotness in the form of apps, Honeycomb, Discovery, and more.

Google TV is still meant to function as a supplement to your usual cable subscription, but they’ve expanded the scope to include more goods. For instance, you will notice that Google TV runs on the tablet-friendly Honeycomb Android operating system. This cleans up the UI and makes it a little more familiar. This also lets it run a whole whack of applications.

To be fair, most of the apps aren’t going to play friendly on your TV, but they have about 20 or so right now that have the proper resolution and formatting. This makes it easier for content providers like Pandora and Netflix to get to you through the Google TV framework. Google plans on creating a sub-section in Android Market for Google TV apps.

One thing that I think is pretty cool is that when you look up a TV show, it won’t just show you when it’ll be airing next on regular TV; it also gives you the other options to watch that show, including YouTube rentals and Amazon purchases. That’s flexibility. It’s also cool how YouTube automatically plays a related video when your chosen video ends, instead of just sitting there blankly waiting for you to choose the next clip.

The Google TV 2.0 update is set to hit compatible Sony devices on Sunday with the Logitech Revue update following “shortly after.”

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Sony is giving it their best effort to take on Apple’s iPad and the array of other Android tablet’s inching for a #2 spot in the tablet work. Sony’s tablets, code named S1 and S2 consist of a single screen 9.4-inch tablet and a dual 5.5-inch screened tablet, both sporting 3G/4G and WiFi and will run on Google’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet-optimized OS.

Sony knows about dual screens, with the Nintendo DS, so it’s no big surprise to see them entering the dual-screen tablet world. Apps would have to be optimized for dual-screen viewing on the S2, but that wouldn’t be anything too difficult for developers if the hardware is popular enough to support it. The lower screen could be an area for navigation, or a virtual keyboard, while the top screen for displaying your content.

The single screen S1 9.4-inch tablet is shaped like a wedge, making the majority of the weight “off center” to give it a more stable center of gravity. Good idea Sony.

You can expect them in Q3 of 2011, no firm date of release is set yet, but this should put Sony in view for the shopping season.

[Sony JP]

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Psst. I’ve got a little secret to share with you. If you’re thinking about picking up a new tablet device and you’ve got your eyes set on the G-Slate from T-Mobile, there’s a way to get it for $100 less than the $530 advertised price.

You ready for it? Okay, here goes: Call them and ask for the discount. Instead of going to a physical retail location, simply ring them up on the phone and say that you want the G-Slate, quoting promo code GSLATE100 if they ask for it. That’s the good news.

Unfortunately, it comes with a fair bit of baggage. In order to qualify for this price, you need to already have a voice plan (or get one) and you need to sign up for a two-year data contract too. There’s also a pesky mail-in rebate.

Really, T-Mobile? $430 for a tablet on contract? Considering that most of the other tablets out there — PlayBook, Galaxy Tab, iPad — can be had for $500 or so out of contract, this doesn’t sound like much of a deal anymore. Don’t be fooled by that unlimited data plan either.

The post How to Get T-Mobile G-Slate Tablet for $100 Less appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Wait. I thought Android 3.0 Honeycomb was the de facto tablet operating system to come out of Google. Even though we’ve already seen the CR-48 netbook, it looks like Google is still interested in pursuing a tablet-friendly version of its cloud-based Chrome OS.

The latest tweaks to the system are very much pointing toward a slate-based future for the secretive operating system. We’re seeing an on-screen keyboard, for example, which certainly would not be at all necessary for a netbook or a notebook running Chrome OS. So, just as there are Android phones and then there is the official Google Phone, could we be seeing the same with tablets?

Maybe. It’s quite possible than an official Google Tablet with Chrome OS is still coming down the pipes, but I see no real reason why they would add even more fuel to the fragmentated fire by splitting their tablet-based dreams across two operating systems. More likely than not, Android Honeycomb (and its successors) will likely merge with Chrome OS in some form.

[Read]

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We’re not entirely sure if they sent the tablet over to Jenny Craig or Weightwatchers, but it looks like it worked. At last month’s MWC, Samsung was showing off one version of its 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab. At this month’s CTIA, however, they’re showing off a different version, a skinnier version.

This could be seen as a response to the thinner iPad 2, because the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is just marginally thinner than its Apple counterpart. It went from 246.2 x 170.4 x 10.9mm to 256.6mm x 172.9mm x 8.6mm. It’s as if they squished down some cookie dough, because the footprint got bigger while the profile got thinner.

The specs sound like they’ve remained largely unchanged with Android 3.0 Honeycomb and a dual core processor running the show, but they have downgraded the eight-megapixel camera on the back to a paltry three-megapixel shooter. Look for the WiFi-only Galaxy Tab 10.1 to ship in 16GB and 32GB flavors for $499 and $599 on June 8. Again, that’s on par with the iPad 2, the BlackBerry Playbook, and the Motorola Xoom.

Want slightly cheaper and smaller? In the “early summer,” Samsung will push out a new 8.9-inch version of the Galaxy Tab that’ll also only rock Wi-Fi (at least for now). In that case, the 16GB is $469 and the 32GB is $569.

[via SlashGear]

The post Samsung Responds To iPad 2 With Slimmer Galaxy Tab 10.1 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

That’s for a good number of you, anyway. If you happen to be rocking something with Android 2.2 Froyo, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, or Android 3.0 Honeycomb, you can go on over to Android Market and download Adobe Flash 10.2. Dual core smatphones get increased performance and the tablets are supposed to get better battery life as a result. Some reviews are coming in stating that 10.2 will “play videos smoother.”

While having two cores in your processor probably helps (though not always, as evidenced by the stellar performance of the mere 800MHz unit on the T-Mobile G2), a single core Android device should handle Flash 10.2 too… it just might not fare as well. Engadget found a 480p YouTube clip to be “fairly jerky” on the Droid 2, but it was “perfectly smooth” on the Xoom.

With hardware acceleration around the corner, dual core pads should even support 720p video playback at a “really smooth, enjoyable level.” Given these advances, would you choose a Xoom over an iPad? They do cost the same after all.

[Android Market]

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It might seem like tablets are the hottest thing since sliced bread, but Asus is trying to remind us that dinner rolls aren’t too bad either. So to speak. Asus has a few tablets up its sleeve, but it’s also not giving up on the netbook.

They’re taking the battle to the price tag with plans of producing a new Asus netbook in the $200-$250 range. I know that you can already get an entry-level Acer Aspire One netbook in that range, so what is Asus really trying to achieve here? Cheap netbooks are (not quite literally but almost) a dime a dozen.

The more interesting news comes with what this cheaper Asus netbook will use as its operating system. We’ve seen Windows. We’ve seen Linux. Now, it’s quite possible that the new netbook will either run Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb or Google Chrome OS. This will bring the price down and the novelty factor up.

Moving forward, it’s likely that Chrome OS and Android will start to become one and the same thing. Until then, though, I’m not sure how they’d implement the tablet-friendly Android on a netbook without inserting a touchscreen. Look for the $200-$250 netbook this June.

[DigiTimes]

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I’ve got some good news and some bad news for all the Honeycomb fans in the audience. The good news is that you don’t have to pony up for a new wireless data contract in order to get your hands on a Xoom; you can get the WiFi-only model instead. The bad news is that it’s not particularly cheap.

It has now been confirmed by the big M that the WiFi-only Motorola Xoom is indeed for real and it will be available for sale starting on March 27. You’ll be able to find on the shelves, both virtual and physical, at places like Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam’s Club, Staples and Walmart. The price? A cool $599.

I know what you’re thinking. “But the iPad 2 starts at $499.” Yes, but that’s for the 16GB model. If you move up to the 32GB WiFi-only iPad 2, it’s also listed at the same $599 asking price as the WiFi-only Motorola Xoom, which also happens to have 32GB of memory. That gets backed by Tegra2, a gig of RAM (more than iPad 2), 5MP autofocus camera, a 10.1-inch display and hopefully one day Flash!

All said, getting on board with Android 3.0 Honeycomb is looking reasonably competitive, especially since the Xoom beats the iPad 2 spec-for-spec. It’ll take time, but I think the Android tablet revolution will be much like the Android smartphone revolution. Hello market share.

The post 32GB Honeycomb Xoom Android Tablet Mirrors iPad 2 Pricing at $599 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

You might know this phone as the HTC Desire HD2, but here are some of the first renderings we’ve seen of the upcoming HTC Pyramid. I’m not really a fan of super-sized displays, but there are more than a few people who might like the 4.3-inch qHD (540×960) touchscreen on this sucker.

Perhaps the more notable tidbit of information being connected to this device, though, is that it may run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Sure, it’s got a pretty big screen, but I think you’d still call it a smartphone. So, why would HTC plunk a tablet-centric OS on there? It’s possible that the blurb is mistaken, but that’s what it says.

Running through the rest of the supposed spec sheet, we find a 1.2GHz processor, 768MB RAM, 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera, and the standard set of four capacitive touch buttons below the display.

From a design standpoint, the HTC Pyramid isn’t exactly pyramidal in shape, nor does it really stand out in the sea of Android alternatives. Maybe that’s what you want, but I really liked the personality of the HTC Incredible so much more.

[PocketNow via XDA.cn]

The post Rendered HTC Pyramid Runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Maybe that $800 asking price is far too rich for your blood and you’re not even interested in having 3G/4G cellular connectivity for the tablet on the go. If these photos are for real, then you could be in luck: a WiFi-only version of the Motorola Xoom might be had for just $539.

The rogue pictures were taken at a local Sam’s Club location and they have a series of cardboard placeholders in place for the WiFi-only tablet. The signage is clearly pointing toward a $539.00 asking price, which is a good $60 cheaper than the $599 that Motorola Mobility head honcho Sanjay Jha mentioned a couple weeks ago.

Then again, there are some significant errors in the signage. For starters, it says that the tablet is going to be powered by “Android 2.0 Homeycomb.” Unless we’re suddenly being thrown back to 1990s Fox sketch comedy, there’s a significant chance that Homey don’t play dat. It could be a weird knockoff from China (maybe a Moturola Xoon?), but it’s more likely that it’s just a bad typo on the part of the sign guys.

What do you think? Would a $539 “Homeycomb” tab from Moto stray you away from that iPad 2?

[via Droid Life]

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