More of Google's Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), the mobile operating system optimized for tablet devices, crawled out into the light of day: more developer tools, more context around its new features, more native applications, and more information about the Android Market. With each addition, the excitement builds; but this week's excitement was largely manufactured.
Carefully orchestrated announcements are ancient practice. After all, wasn't Steve Jobs' famous "one more thing" originally uttered by Cicero during the reign of Julius Caesar? But you'd have to go to Punxsutawney, PA to find an event as meaninglessly ceremonial as Google's Honeycomb rollout. Ironically, Google chose Groundhog Day for its celebration, and like the rodent's absent shadow in the middle of this dreadful winter, all we got were the same rosy promises with little relief.
Honeycomb video demonstrations appeared on Google's mobile blog earlier this year, like a movie trailer showing all of the most enticing parts. The holographic, 3D user experience makes me want to consume so much content that I lick my tablet like a dog lapping up a bowl's remaining morsels.
The menu items on the screen's system bar along the bottom provide all of the tablet interaction, and its multi-tasking button is a superbly intuitive way to get a quick glance at running apps and a view of the state you left them in. The action menu bar along the top provides a more customized set of menus on a per-application basis.
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