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Taking a cue from LG, Lenovo has pulled back from releasing an Android 2.2 tablet. PC World reports that Rory Read, COO of the company’s U.S. operations, feels Lenovo would be better served waiting until the tablet-friendly version of Android (Honeycomb) arrives next year. Initially expected by the end of 2010, this means the “LePad” will not arrive until around the summer of 2011.
Aside from the Samsung Galaxy Tab, I would not expect to see many Android tablets from some of the bigger players. As Google puts the finishing touches on Gingerbread, it’s quick to point out that Android 2.2 “Froyo” is not optimized for a tablet.
Looking down the road, however,the next two releases are expected to focus on aesthetics as well as custom animations and UI tweaks. It will be interesting to see how much Android evolves over the coming year and what changes are made to adapt to larger screens.
On a related note, Lenovo says it does not plan to pursue a Windows 7-based tablet. The company says it believes the platform is designed mainly for use with a mouse and keyboard and does not itself lend well to a touch interface. Should more companies echo this sentiment, Microsoft will have a tough battle ahead against Google and Android.
