Android enjoyed a fantastic year in 2010, launching on more than 100 handsets and tablets and gobbling market share from Nokia, Research in Motion and even Apple through sheer volume alone. The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in January foreshadowed an even greater 2011, with dozens of Android tablets on the show floor in Las Vegas, led by Motorola's Xoom 10.1-inch beauty. Moreover, the Motorola Atrix 4G looks like a promising entry in AT&T's Android portfolio, when accompanied by docking stations and a Webtop application. If CES provided the appetizer for Android, Mobile World Congress was the main course. At the just concluded show in Barcelona, Samsung, Sony, HTC, LG and others introduced a dizzying array of new Android handsets, tablets and game players. Of course, devices are but pretty shells on the mobile beach without software, which made Google's launch of its Android Market Webstore an important move. Through the Webstore, Google hopes to hook up Android gadget lovers with almost 150,000 applications from any device. In this slide show, eWEEK walks through the Top 10 products that will ensure Android will continue to rock in 2011 as it seeks to battle Apple's iPad and iPhones.
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Google Android Gains Momentum in 2011 with Top 10 Mobile Products
by Clint Boulton
Motorola Xoom
Most who have seen this tablet, whether up close and personal at Google Feb. 2, or from demos in a packed conference hall at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show Jan. 6, agree that the Xoom is a gorgeous device. Powered by a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor and Google's Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" operating system, the Xoom will set the bar for Android tablets when it launches in March.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Many tablet watchers would argue the Galaxy Tab 10.1, based on Honeycomb, is the tablet Samsung should have launched last holiday season to challenge the iPad instead of the 7-inch Android 2.2-based Tab. Early reports are that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 makes good on last year’s gaffe.
Motorola Atrix 4G
A great phone, this Android 2.2 handset will launch Feb. 22 for $199.99 with a two-year contract from AT&T. Customers may pay $499 to pair the Atrix 4G with the Motorola Laptop Dock, which will allow consumers to flash their Atrix 4G content on a larger monitor via Motorola's Linux-based Webtop application.
Samsung Galaxy S II
The follow-up to the Galaxy S line that shipped more than 10 million units, the Galaxy S II is a dual-core smartphone that includes Android 2.3 with near-field communication capabilities; an 8-megapixel camera and camcorder with 1080p full HD recording and playback as well as a Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic LED) Plus screen.
HTC Facebook Phones
Okay, laugh all you want if you remember the Facebook Phone rumor from last fall. When you're done, check out the HTC ChaCha and Salsa Android 2.3 smartphones with a dedicated Facebook button, which users can touch to update their status, upload a photo, share a news article and check into Facebook Places.
LG Optimus 3G
The award for first 3D Android smartphone goes to LG, which will offer this pretty 4.3-inch-screen gadget with 5 megapixel, dual lens camera to display 3D content without the use of special glasses. The Optimus 3D will roll out in the second quarter starting with Europe.
HTC Flyer
We were initially hesitant to get excited about this one when we learned it would run Android 2.4, but HTC confirmed the 7-inch Flyer with a 1.5GHz processor will indeed upgrade to Honeycomb in the 2011 second quarter. What we like about this tablet is its reliance on a special HTC Sense user interface to provide 3D widgets, independent of Honeycomb.
Sony Xperia Play
One of the top draws of today's smartphones is gaming. To wit, the long-rumored PlayStation phone is here. The Xperia Play includes a slide-out gaming control pad with a digital D pad, two analog touch-pads, two shoulder buttons and the four Sony PlayStation icons. As a bonus, there's a 5-megapixel camera, a 4-inch multi-touch-screen and social-networking features.
Motorola Droid Bionic
Yes, another Droid! This is Verizon Wireless' dual-core, 4.3-inch-screen, Android 2.2 answer to AT&T's Atrix 4G. While it won't appear until the second quarter (or have a docking station), it is a hard-core Android device, boasting a quarter high-definition screen, an 8-megapixel camera, as well as HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connectivity to let users view video and games on large-screen HD televisions.
Android Market Webstore
Google Feb. 2 opened its new Android Market Webstore, a Website dedicated to letting consumers purchase applications for their Android smartphones and tablets from a Web browser. Applications are linked with a Google Account rather than a device, so they can be automatically pushed to any Android devices registered to that account. Google hopes the move will boost paid applications for Android devices.
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Android enjoyed a fantastic year in 2010, launching on more than 100 handsets and tablets and gobbling market share from Nokia, Research in Motion and even Apple through sheer volume alone. The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in January foreshadowed an even greater 2011, with dozens of Android tablets on the show floor in Las Vegas, led by Motorola's Xoom 10.1-inch beauty. Moreover, the Motorola Atrix 4G looks like a promising entry in AT&T's Android portfolio, when accompanied by docking stations and a Webtop application. If CES provided the appetizer for Android, Mobile World Congress was the main course. At the just concluded show in Barcelona, Samsung, Sony, HTC, LG and others introduced a dizzying array of new Android handsets, tablets and game players. Of course, devices are but pretty shells on the mobile beach without software, which made Google's launch of its Android Market Webstore an important move. Through the Webstore, Google hopes to hook up Android gadget lovers with almost 150,000 applications from any device. In this slide show, eWEEK walks through the Top 10 products that will ensure Android will continue to rock in 2011 as it seeks to battle Apple's iPad and iPhones.