If there’s one electronics show that stands out more brightly than the others, it’s definitely the Consumer Electronics Show. This show, who’s 2011 rendition just finished, drew over 140,000 visitors this year, all coming to see presentations from big names like Google, Microsoft, Samsung — and on and on, since most of the major names in the field had at least some presence. While there were plenty of impressive technologies this year, due to the sheer volume and number of upcoming innovations, Google’s Android seems to have been the shining star of CES 2011.
According to a report by AFP’s Charlotte Raab, the Android OS was the “crown prince” of the touchscreen tablet kingdom thanks to the many Android-run tablets being showcased. This ranged from product releases from Dell to Lenovoa to LG to Asus to Toshiba and more, bringing us presentations from manufacturers around the globe.
Much of the excitement for Android roots back to its Honeycomb operating system, the 3.0 rendition of Android that’s designed specifically for tablets. According to Googler Mike Cleron, Honeycomb represents over a year of effort in completely rethinking the Android platform, optimizing it for hardware, features, and more. The Xoom, a Honeycomb powered device from Motorola Mobility, even won the “best gadget” prize.
Of course, Android tablets are still only a distant second in the tablet world, with the iPad (and upcoming iPad 2) owning the market. It’s likely that Google tablets will make a dent, but not a sizable one, in the upcoming year. While they may gradually work their way up as they did in the smartphone market, it will almost certainly be at a more sluggish pace if the numbers so far are any indication. For most users, Google tablets won’t be a first choice, but simply the “reasonably priced alternative” to the iPad.
