Google announces Android version 3.1 at its I/O conference-- alongside a look at the OS' future, Ice Cream Sandwich.
Android 3.1 will be tablet only, and will have a number of tweaks to Honeycomb's interface, as well as allowing Android devices to act as USB host-- or, in other words, allowing users to plug in USB input devices (keyboards, mice, game controllers) for use with Android tablets.
It will also support Google's Music Locker service, as well as movie rentals via Android Market.
The big announcement is Ice Cream Sandwich, Android's next iteration-- one to unite mobile phones and tablets under a single OS. Rolling out late 2011, few details are actually out. Mobiles will get Honeycomb's "holographic" UI, launcher and widgets through an applications framwork allowing for scaling between different device form factors.
Meanwhile Google has other plans for Android-- such as Android @ Home, its home automation framework, and the Android Open Accessory standard.
W. Europe continues to be the weakest region of them all, as vendors still struggle with both lower consumer demands and the channel's higher inventory levels.
NVidia acquires baseband processor developer Icera for $367m in its bid to cement its position in the mobile market.
The company says the chip series allows the development of high performance, high resolution and compact PC peripherals, such as universal docking stations, USB monitors, PC to TV adapters and zero clients with USB plug and play connectivity.
