Google’s Android-themed media event is nigh, and we’re expecting the Big G to show off all kinds of next-generation Android goodies at the press conference. The event is slated to kick off at 10AM PST on February 2nd, at which point, we’ll get our very first comprehensive and detailed look at the tablet-optimized Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS. Also on deck to possibly make a couple cameo appearances are the Motorola Xoom, Google Music, and the desktop-based version of the Android Market (complete with the ability to push Android apps from your desktop to your smartphone with a left click on the mouse).
Of course, we’ll be live blogging the Android Honeycomb event from start to finish, so make sure you keep at least one browser tab locked to IntoMobile.com (this page, especially).
We’ve already seen a bit of what Android Honeycomb will look like from a UI aesthetics standpoint, but we’re expecting to see even more fancy-schmancy new UI elements that allow the new OS version to take advantage of the larger tablet display size and the extra screen real-estate that affords – multi-panel apps, cohesive multi-tasking metaphors, scalable pixels, etc. We should also see what kind of APIs Google will open up to developers.
With a little luck, we’ll see Google Music make its debut at this press event. The Google Music service is expected to allow users to purchase songs and even stream their home-bound music library directly from their desktop or laptop computer. The Google Nexus S was launched recently without a microSD card slot, hinting at a near term launch of Google Music (which would largely obviate the need for extra storage space via microSD).
And, finally, we could see the introduction of the long-awaited web-based version of the Android Market. While Apple’s App Store has been fully integrated into the desktop iTunes client from the get-go, Android has so far had no such integration with the desktop. We’ve got our fingers crossed for a browser-based Market that will allow you to not only download apps from your browser, but also push those apps to your Android phone from your computer.
So, keep your eyes on the live blog below. This should be fun…