honeycomb

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Facebook launches Facebook Deals in a few, select cities

Facebook also rolls out the Send button, which is similar to the Like button, only not so public

Sony plans this fall to launch two tablets that will run Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" and have access to PlayStation content.

Yahoo buys IntoNow, a social network for couch potatoes

The Barnes & Noble Nook Color gets an update that allows it to run apps

T-Mobile pulls the Bobsled app because it was confusing Facebook users

According to a Lenovo internal presentation sent to the blog This Is My Next over the weekend, the world's fourth-largest PC maker is planning to jump on the touch-screen tablet bandwagon by this summer.

Here's what the document says: The tablet will be powered by Android 3.0, otherwise known as Honeycomb, will come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB storage size options, weigh 1.6 pounds, and have a 10.1-inch IPS (in-plane switching) touch screen. The processor is an Nvidia Tegra 2, there are two cameras--front and back--and it'll be 0.55 inches thick.

There are … Read more

This week, Google quietly added three new Android 3.0 tablets to the ranks. The Acer Iconia Tab A500, LG G-Slate, and Asus Eee Pad Transformer all made their appearance and we wore our touch-screen-jabbing fingers to the bone.

In addition to providing some companions for the Motorola Xoom (the first tablet to launch with Honeycomb), these three tablets stormed our CNET best five tablets list, as well as our list of the best five Android tablets.

Should Apple be scared? With prices inching down below $400 and two options now for 4G, there's definitely reason for Steve Jobs … Read more

Amazon.com has updated its Kindle Android app with features designed to tap into the Honeycomb interface currently found on the Motorola Xoom and T-Mobile's LG G-Slate.

Available now at Amazon's Appstore for Android, Kindle for Android 3.0 is geared for all Android devices but takes special advantage of the larger displays and other attributes offered by Honeycomb-powered tablets.

The updated version offers a virtual bookshelf that stretches across the screen to let people visually browse and view titles at the Kindle store. The new interface also provides quicker access to customer reviews, recommendations, and other items … Read more

When it comes to tablets, we're not really ready for software keyboards, are we? Or maybe the developers of software keyboards aren't yet ready for us.

This week, we received the Asus Eee Pad Transformer tablet. Like with most new tablets that enter this building, it was immediately pounced on by a pack of ravenous wolves group of my coworkers.

What made the Transformer's debut more exciting than most was its primary claim to fame and origin of its namesake: the keyboard/dock accessory.

If not for the keyboard/dock, most would have mistaken it for one … Read more

T-Mobile's new LG G-Slate tablet, the first enabled with 3D, went on sale at Amazon today for $799.

The Amazon price covers the new 4G tablet off-contract, so buyers aren't locked into any long-term data plan. In contrast, T-Mobile is selling the G-Slate for $549 after a $100 rebate, but that price includes a two-year contract. Either way, the data plan will tack on an additional monthly charge of $29 for 200 MB, $49 for 5 GB, or $84 for 10 GB.

Following in the footsteps of the Motorola Xoom, the G-Slate becomes the second Android tablet to … Read more

Update: CNET's full, rated review of the Acer Iconia Tab is now available.

Google's tablet-friendly Android 3.0 OS (aka Honeycomb) is arguably the biggest advancement for tablet computers since the introduction of the iPad. It delivers souped-up versions of Google's celebrated mobile apps (Gmail, Maps, Books, Talk, Navigation, and Market) to the big, multitouch-enabled screens of 10-inch tablets, and weaves Adobe Flash into a killer tabbed Web browser. There's only been one big problem: the OS has been trapped on a relatively hefty, high-priced tablet called the Motorola Xoom.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 is … Read more

(Update: Toshiba has since announced their tablet's official product name -- the Toshiba Thrive.)

We may finally have a price and a name for Toshiba's Android Honeycomb tablet, thanks to a product listing on Newegg (pictured right) that has since been taken down.

The listing showed the tablet in three capacities: 8GB (for $450), 16GB ($500), and 32GB ($580). If you're balking at the lack of a 64GB model, keep in mind that each model accepts up to 32GB of additional storage via SDHC memory cards. The price is reasonable, given specs such as GPS, 5-megapixel rear … Read more

Despite rising competition from the likes of Android, Apple's iOS-based iPad will continue to lead the tablet market on into 2015, according to a report out today by Gartner.

Looking at the tablet market by operating system, Gartner pegged Apple's share at 84 percent last year and is forecasting 69 percent this year. Though Apple's dominance may ebb over the next few years, it will still maintain its lead, with 63 percent of all tablets sold next year and 47 percent in 2015, according to the market researcher.

Amid any decline in market share, unit sales of … Read more