Google previews Honeycomb operating system

Version three of the Android OS is tablet-tastic, says search giant

Search giant Google previewed the third version of its mobile device operating system (OS), codenamed Honeycomb, at a dedicated event at its Mountain View headquarters in the US last night.

The major difference from previous Android OS releases is that Honeycomb has been designed from the ground up to address the tablet device market.

To drive development of Android applications, Google has now introduced the Android Market web site, which lets users select apps through a web browser where previously they were downloadable only through Android devices.

On Google's mobile blog its mobile platforms program manager Eric Chu said: "Honeycomb has a completely redesigned user interface, with more interactive notifications and widgets, improved multi-tasking, and the latest Google Mobile services optimised for tablets.

"Over 50 Android developers will be demonstrating their latest phone and tablet apps at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona staring on 14 February," added Chu.

Google's Android OS is on the rise, with sales of Android phones in the US outselling Apple handsets last August.

With Apple techmeister Steve Jobs sidelined through illness and Microsoft's Windows 7 tablets unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, but still not globally available, Google is building significant momentum in the market, especially with Motorola's much-heralded Honeycomb-based Xoom set to launch this February.