Skip to main content

Google: Honeycomb will not be opened up to developers… yet

new honeycombGoogle is failing to make good on that whole “we’re open” thing. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google has decided to hold off on releasing Honeycomb code for developers because it isn’t “yet ready to be altered.” Google is usually generous with its Android source code, opening it up to developers and manufacturers early on, but things are apparently different when it comes to its tablet-optimized OS.

In an e-mail statement, Google claims that “while we’re excited to offer these new features to Android tablets, we have more work to do before we can deliver them to other device types including phones. Until then, we’ve decided not to release Honeycomb to open source. We’re committed to providing Android as an open platform across many device types and will public the source as soon as it’s ready.”

Recommended Videos

Fortunately, the decision to keep the code to itself a little while longer won’t affect the production and release of current manufacturing partners’ products. App builders as well can rest easy, as they don’t require Honeycomb’s code for their purposes.

There was some concern that this moved implied Google was attempting to keep a uniform Honeycomb branding throughout, and maybe head off some of that fragmentation name-calling. This would mean that Google would prevent tablet manufacturers from laying their own customs UIs on top of Honeycomb, which plenty currently do.  Androinica got in touch with a Google rep who completely dismissed the idea, saying, “That rumor is inaccurate, there are no restrictions on custom UIs for Honeycomb whatsoever.” So at least for the moment, tablet-makers are free to layer away. But UI aside, Google isn’t giving any indication of when it plans to offer up Honeycomb’s code.

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
Google just announced 7 big Android updates. Here’s what’s new
Text editing in Google Messages.

If you have an Android phone or tablet or a Wear OS watch, you should sit up and pay attention. Google has just announced a bundle of new features it's rolling out soon, and from Google Messages updates to a better hotspot experience, there's a lot to dig into.

Earlier this year, Google was spotted testing a new edit feature for its RCS-powered Google Messages app. Well, it has finally made its way to the app with the latest Android feature drop.

Read more
Everything announced at Google I/O 2024
Rose Yao on Google I/O 2024 stage.

Android, Wear OS, and Pixel may be Google's household names, but it was Google Gemini, its emerging AI technology, that stole the limelight at Google I/O 2024. The company's annual software celebration sets the stage for everything the company has planned for the coming year, and this year, CEO Sundar Pichai unambiguously declared that Google is in its "Gemini era." From AI searches in your Google Photos to virtual AI assistants that will work alongside you, Google is baking Gemini into absolutely everything, and the implications are enormous. Here's an overview of everything Google announced this year.
Gemini takeover

Users upload more than 6 billion photos to Google Photos every day, so it's little wonder that we could use a hand sifting through them all. Gemini will be added to Google Photos this summer, adding extra search abilities through the Ask Photos function. For instance, ask it "what's my license plate again" and it'll search through your photos to find the most likely answer, saving you from needing to manually look through your photos to find it yourself.

Read more
Google just announced 8 big Android updates. Here’s what’s new
A photo of many Android figurines on a white wall.

At Moblie World Congress (MWC ) 2024, Google is bringing a healthy bunch of new features to Android. In line with the AI push all across the industry, some notable AI-driven enhancements are on the table. There are also a handful of core Android features that sound practically amazing.
The first in line is Gemini. The generative AI chatbot recently got a standalone app for Android, and now it’s headed for the Google Messages app. Users can chat with Gemini directly in the messaging app and use its generative capabilities for a host of things, like drafting replies, refining a message, and more.

Another feature that was showcased a while ago is finally ready for prime time. Android Auto is gaining support for message summarization for standalone texts and group chats, and it can also suggest replies. With a single tap, users will also be able to drop a message, start a call, and share an estimated arrival time. The idea is to deploy AI for crucial tasks so that it can minimize distractions while driving.
Lookout, an accessibility-centric feature for users with vision challenges, is also getting meaningful AI love. On Android phones, Lookout will now read AI-generated captions and descriptions for media content. For now, the AI boost to Lookout and Messages is limited to the English language.

Read more