back to article HTC shuns Honeycomb for Android tablet debut

Smartphone maker HTC's upcoming Android tablet, Flyer, will run the Gingerbread version of the operating system, not the tablet-centric Honeycomb. Flyer was launched yesterday at Mobile World Congress (MWC). At the time, HTC didn't say which version of Android the 7in tablet would use, stressing instead that it will be …

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  1. Miek
    FAIL

    2.3 !?

    Won't be getting gone of those then, or at least until it gets an upgrade to Android 3

  2. Tom 15

    Eh?

    The fact that it used Gingerbread was announced yesterday and is supposedly due to the fact that they haven't got round to building HTC Sense for Honeycomb yet...

  3. Paul M 1

    title

    I'm confused by this. Unless I'm mistaken, the cost to the manufacturer for Gingerbread or Honeycomb are the same, i.e. zero. And I've not seen anything that suggests that the hardware requirements are significantly different for the 2.

    So, how do they think they will be able to justify this "Premium"?

    1. Anon the mouse

      It's the sense ui

      From experience and also XDA-developers it's the Sense UI that causes the problems.

      HTC put some hooks deeply into the system and screw up things like proper bluetooth implementation.

      1. Rattus Rattus

        So it's Sense's fault?

        I don't even want Sense, first thing I'd do is turn it off. Not the tablet for me then.

    2. David 163

      Not quite free

      Android is not quite free- you pay license fee to use the Google services. I don't know how useful the OS is without these services or with the services include.

  4. Paul E

    Honeycomb update for flyer imminent

    According to other tech sites.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Budget End..

    I thought this was already filling out with versions that did not meat the compatible device document (CDD) specs for android already like the Ziio and archos 101

    having another definition by version will only complicate matters further!

  6. DrXym

    Upgrade path

    HTC have been good about providing updates in the past but they have made a rod for their own back by customizing the UI so much. Part of me thinks they should just ship vanilla 3.0, or maybe skin it a little bit, e.g. live wallpaper, clock widget etc. and save the rest for a subsequent update. Or dial back on the customization altogether.

    Toshiba on the other hand seem to make great hardware and then completely forget about the software. Look at that AC100 netbook thing which was like sex on a stick except it was running a vanilla uncertified android 2.1. In Tosh's case I think the best thing they could do is furnish the info CyanogenMod requires to support the tablet and the netbook. Then people can upgrade to 3.0 for themselves in due course. It might even make the devices popular with hackers since let's face it they're not going to be popular with consumers.

  7. Kay Burley ate my hamster
    Alert

    Hardware requirements

    Android 3 needs a dual-core chip methinks, this device has a 1.5GHz chip which leads me to believe it's single core (hence the extra clocking).

  8. Conrad Longmore

    Not cheap

    I don't think this is a budget device, remember that Samsung tried to punt the less powerful Galaxy Tab for €800 when it came out.. I suspect that HTC are aiming for the same price range.

  9. JaitcH
    Unhappy

    No Honeycomb, No Buy!

    I wouldn't want to buy a pad without Honeycomb - why buy anything than is less than optimal?

    Perhaps Google will commission a no bells and whistles version so we can enjoy the fruits of their labours without manufacturers screwing around with it.

  10. Stuart Halliday
    Stop

    HTC and its updates

    Just be sure you get a written confirmation that if you buy this tablet that they will keep it updated.

    Their wildfire and desire hd looks like they'll be forever locked in their release versions. Never to be seriously upgraded.

    HTC do seem to make a habit of promising updates that never appear!

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