Is Honeycomb all flash, no substance?

[toddjy]

I was looking at the T-Mobile G-Slate videos on YouTube, and it looks really cool. (For some reason, I didn't find the same videos for the Xoom, even though they are the Honeycomb promo videos.)

But is there any real point to it all? Do I really need the curved wall of videos when I go to Youtube. Or the books standing in a line on Google Books. Or even the widgets for these two which is a pile of books and videos.

On the other hand, Apple, you've been pwned!

I do hope the Nook tablet software has a bookshelf. But I don't need to actually turn the pages. (Even though the phone software already does that.)

 

[DougB541#CB]

Android already has substance...they are adding flash now with Honeycomb.

Yeah its more showy, but as long as the core experience isn't hindered who cares? The 3D wall on youtube looks awesome.

 

[cjohnson481]

its a lot more than just curved walls in the Google Apps that changed in Honeycomb.

No need for physical buttons anymore, improved notification system, newer way of multitasking, native video chat in the OS, and many other not yet shown improvements.

Honeycomb is more about the OS' being built to be used on tablets and use the screen real estate to its advantage. There is a lot of flash being added in there, but good under the hood updates too.

 

[natehoch96]

its a lot more than just curved walls in the Google Apps that changed in Honeycomb.

No need for physical buttons anymore, improved notification system, newer way of multitasking, native video chat in the OS, and many other not yet shown improvements.

Honeycomb is more about the OS' being built to be used on tablets and use the screen real estate to its advantage. There is a lot of flash being added in there, but good under the hood updates too.

Exactly. The OS is designed specifically and exclusively for tablets, so the overall experience is going to be amazing. There is a lot more than just visual changes (although the visual changes look AWESOME!).

 

[Dexter73]

Exactly. The OS is designed specifically and exclusively for tablets, so the overall experience is going to be amazing. There is a lot more than just visual changes (although the visual changes look AWESOME!).

Honeycomb is the future of the Android operating system for tablets and phones.

YouTube - Google's Matias Duarte talks Honeycomb, tablets, design, and the future of Android.

 

[Prof-KOS]

I'm looking forward to Honeycomb for two reasons. I've always felt that if I had to list my biggest complaints with Android it would be:

- app switching: I much prefer the WebOS card-style app switching over Android's recent apps. I know Android does a great job of shutting down apps in the background, but I want that kind of control and I want it to be intuitive. Swiping cards away is such an elegant way to do this.

- notifications: I like the way Android does notifications, but I think it can be evolved to be more user friendly. Oddly enough, Vizio seems to have the right idea with their UI skin. Notifications are by grouped intelligently and can be cleared by app, individually or all at once.

What gives me hope is that WebOS does both of these things very well and Matias Duarte is now with Android. I can't wait to see what Honeycomb will look like on phones.

 

[rightontime]

There might be more changes in honeycomb that havent been announced. Google wouldn't let motorola or verizon show off every new feature thats part of honeycomb. Hopefully the stuff at I/O will be part of it.

 

[BSG75]

I was never a tablet person, but I really want a wifi xoom.

 

[ceriem]

There's alot which hasn't been announced yet. I would checkout engadget's interview with Matias Duarte. He is one of the heads behind Honeycomb and the stuff he's bringing to the table is incredible. This OS will definitely be tablets and smartphones and will finally solve the Android unpolished UI problem (which is really the only leg up Apple has against it at this point.)

Here is a link to the video. Matias has alot of brilliant insights and I hope he stays on the Android team for a while.

Exclusive interview: Google's Matias Duarte talks Honeycomb, tablets, and the future of Android -- Engadget

 

[backbeat]

Where the smartphone segment is concerned, Honeycomb seems to be All Hat, No Cattle ... at least until it proves otherwise.

 

[zero3187]

I'm looking forward to Honeycomb for two reasons. I've always felt that if I had to list my biggest complaints with Android it would be:

- app switching: I much prefer the WebOS card-style app switching over Android's recent apps. I know Android does a great job of shutting down apps in the background, but I want that kind of control and I want it to be intuitive. Swiping cards away is such an elegant way to do this.

- notifications: I like the way Android does notifications, but I think it can be evolved to be more user friendly. Oddly enough, Vizio seems to have the right idea with their UI skin. Notifications are by grouped intelligently and can be cleared by app, individually or all at once.

What gives me hope is that WebOS does both of these things very well and Matias Duarte is now with Android. I can't wait to see what Honeycomb will look like on phones.

I completely agree with the app switching point. I love how webOS manages apps, switching between them, and closing them. I think there's an extreme lack of that in android. I know you can get task killers to close the apps but the OS should have some option for it and you can hold down the home button to go to an app you've opened recently but that doesn't help if I want to switch between open apps.