LG Android tablet using Honeycomb to target Apple

An LG executive today confirmed that the company's upcoming Optimus Pad would not only be a showcase for Android but was designed from the start to take on the iPad. The 8.9-inch slate should launch in the first quarter of 2011 and will ship with Honeycomb, now widely believed to be the true Android 3.0 build. The software is the "tablet PC" version of Google's OS, LG told MK.

Google has never formally detailed what Honeycomb would entail other than acknowledging its presence, but it has advised against using Android 2.2 and made no mention of a change in Gingerbread. A lack of native tablet support has been considered a weakness of Android and a limitation of the Galaxy Tab. LG chose to skip Android 2.2 likely for similar reasons.

When it ships, the Optimus Pad is expected to use a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor.

The LG manager also acknowledged indirectly that his company's tablet was a direct reaction to the iPad. It created a "taskforce" in early 2010 to design the tablet, around when Apple was unveiling its design. It has also been focusing on incorporating feedback from European and North American residents, both have whom have been the most eager iPad adopters.

While the Optimus Pad should be just one of many Android tablets launching in the period, the official reiterated that LG's model is designed to be more productive than the iPad. Most tablets are focused on content consumption like books and videos, but the Optimus Pad should be "more diverse," he said.

By Electronista Staff