The tablet scene is currently reaching boiling point with a number of manufacturers releasing Android and Windows-based devices.

 

Last week during the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Google provided Android fans with a preview of Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb. This is the next version of the Android platform, which has been re-built from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes, such as tablet PCs.

 

It boasts a new holographic user interface (UI), Google Maps 5 with 3D interactions and offline reliability, refined multi-tasking, access to more than 100 000 apps on the Android Market, home-screen customisation with a new 3D experience as well as redesigned widgets. 

 

The search giant also upgraded the web browser that now includes such features as tabbed browsing, form auto-fill, syncing with your Google Chrome bookmarks as well as incognito mode for private browsing.

 

The Motorola Xoom (pronounced 'zoom') is the first tablet PC running on Android 3.0 and is scheduled for an early 2011 release in the US.  

 

 

The Android OS is not the only tablet incorporated OS out there. Last year Intel also released the video introduction of the pre-alpha Tablet PC version of it and Nokia’s MeeGo operating system (OS). MeeGo for Tablets sports a novel method of OS navigation by content. Recent content, recent web pages, social content, as well as content currently open are all accessible in scrollable columns.

 

Multi-touch gesture control for resizing and rotating a photo for example is also present and users will be able to utilise up to five fingers for multi-touch gesturing. Easy access to Intel’s AppUp application centre is also available.

 

The preview video for Android 3.0 and video demonstration of MeeGo for Tablets follows after the break:

 

 

 

Although the Honeycomb demonstration is just a preview and the MeeGo Tablet user experience is in the very early development phase, it’s interesting to see the different approaches adopted within both OS’ Linux-based user interfaces.

 

Window's tablet roadmap looks a bit murky, since it seems they've only got the regular Windows 7 interface available, with nothing built from the ground specifically for tablets. 

 

Let us know which one you’d prefer to make use of if you were to buy a Tablet PC later this year.