Android 3.0 Codename Gingerbread Being Prepped For Tablets

Information is being leaked about Android 3.0, which is codenamed Gingerbread. From various previous leaks, it was already revealed that the release of the next major version of the OS was planned for Q4 2010. The details that recently emerged indicate that the release could be in October and might be boosting the minimum required hardware specifications. According to Eldar Murtazin, a blogger for Mobile Review, the new version will require a 1 GHz CPU and 512 MB of RAM and will also be bringing support for a screen resolution of 1280 x 760 for devices with displays larger than 4 inches. The screen resolution makes it a more compelling choice for tablet-sized devices which might be what Google is trying to push more. Several hardware makers have already created Android tablet prototypes with high-resolution screens by tweaking the platforms themselves.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Google is planning a major user interface overhaul for Gingerbread to reduce the need for third-party user interface customizations, such as HTC Sense and Motoblur. Google might take this opportunity to make sure that is new UI will scale up well for tablet devices as well. Intel's recent involvement in an official x86 port of the platform is also evidence that Google plans on pushing Android onto tablets. Intel still currently supports MeeGo for tablets rather than Android, but improvements to Android's x86 suport could still simplify matters for OEMs who want to pair Android with Atom in tablet-like devices.

More leaked information also indicates that while working on Gingerbread, Google plans to continually work on Android 2.2 (Froyo) for the foreseeable future as well so they can maintain it in parallel with 3.0. The purpose of keeping up to date with both is to ensure that 2.2 is still available for lower-end devices that don't meet the high requirements they plan on imposing for Android 3.0. This idea is similar to that of Nokia's strategy of using MeeGo on smartphones and Symbian for less expensive mass-market Internet-enabled phones. Amidst all this information acquired from leaks, its surprising to see Google's lack of any official confirmation. Kind of strange that developers and fanboys rely on leaks and rumors to get news for what is supposedly an "open" platform but we still have high hopes from Google.