Google yesterday took time at a developer event to delve a little deeper into a couple of announcements it made at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), including a detailed look at the company's tablet-optimized 3.0 version of Android (Honeycomb).
In a webcast posted at the company's website, Andy Rubin said he was genuinely surprised about the variety of devices running Android at this year's CES. Pitching Google's range of services, Rubin emphasized the importance of the cloud in creating a seamless experience across a variety of devices, such as tablets, smartphones and laptops.
"You could literally lose your laptop or lose your phone or tablet and all your data is safe and secure in the cloud, and the next time you pick up your new tablet, it all comes back," Rubin said.
Hugo Barra, director of products for Google Mobile, was on hand to demonstrate how all of Google's services come together in Honeycomb. Barra showed the new platform on the yet-to-be released Motorola Xoom. The new platform leverages widgets on the tablet to access data stored at any of Google's many cloud-based services, such as Gmail, Picasa and Docs.
Louis Gump, vice president of CNN Mobile, demonstrated how its new app for Android works on the revamped UI. Gump stressed how the tablet is the perfect fit for a video-rich content provider like CNN.
Also on hand was Chris Yerga, Google's engineering director, who outlined and demoed a major overhaul of Android Market. Yerga said the changes to Google's application store front were made to give developers a better way to market their applications and more flexible billing options.
Taking a page from Apple's playbook, Google has added the Android Web Store, a browser-based Android Market. Previously, the complete Android Market catalog could only be searched on a mobile device that was running the Android platform.
Android users can now search for, purchase and download apps directly from the Web. When a user purchases an app from the Android Web Store, that app is automatically synced to the user's phone via the cloud.
Google promises more surprises are on tap for Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Google will be showcasing apps from 50 developers at the Android booth in Hall 8.
Check out a video of the whole presentation below: