0 Android Tablets: Top Honeycomb-Optimized Apps

See all 5 photos Honeycomb Apps

Just got yourself an Android Honeycomb tablet - a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 perhaps, or a Motorola Xoom? You may have been scared by your iPad-toting friends into thinking that the Android market is an empty desert when it comes to tablet apps: not so! While these apps may be a little elusive (though visibility is being improved by the day) and searching for them isn't the funnest task in the world, they are out there if you know where to look - like here. I have compiled a list of some of the very best Honeycomb-optimized apps for Android tablets which make full use of the 10.1 inches of screen real estate.

See all 5 photos Pulse News Reader

News & Social

• Pulse - a functional and stylistically appealing news reader that displays articles and news items in a magazine-like grid. Lets you choose from pre-selected news sources or add your own RSS feeds.
• News360 - similar to Pulse, News360 adds images to items and presents them in a pleasing, glossy magazine-like reel. However, unlike Pulse, you can't choose your own feeds but can only customize your news streams using keywords.
• TweetComb - a superior Twitter client for tablets.
• FriendCaster for Facebook - a far, far better choice (unfortunately) than Facebook's own official app, which has always been anemic.
• CNN - just what it says on the tin: lets you browse through CNN broadcasts and news.
• BBC - like the above, but for BBC.

See all 5 photos Quickoffice Pro HD for Tablets

Productivity

• Evernote - a note-taking app with online sync capabilities that lets you take notes with pictures either from your gallery app or from your tablet's camera. Limited upload bandwidth for free accounts.
• Catch Notes - another note-taking app, also with syncing capabilities, but a less polished interface.
• QuickOffice HD - your replacement for MS Office on the tablet.
• Splashtop HD - remote desktop viewer/controller with excellent features and minimal lag.
• Wizz Widgets - Honeycomb-themed widgets with calendar, agenda, news-reading and social-networking stacks.
• File Station Tablet - file explorer with dual- and triple-pane views.
• SwiftkeyX Tablet - intelligent keyboard for tablets with many customization options, including split keys for landscape mode.

See all 5 photos IMDB for Android Honeycomb

Media

• Sketchbook Pro - the most full-featured sketching app on Android yet! Lets you pick from more than twenty brush types, customize their sizes and transparencies, and brings your tablet to as close a sketchbook as you can get.
• Hive Player - dual-pane music player with a widget that takes advantage of the Honeycomb look and feel, as well as tablet screen real estate.
• VPlayer - video player with optimization for Honeycomb tablets.
• IMDB - the Internet Movie Database for your tablet. In landscape most, like all Honeycomb-optimized apps, the app splits into two panes for best viewing.

See all 5 photos FlightTrack for Android

Others

• FlightTrack - lets you track flights in real time, with a pleasing and beautiful map in the background, perfect for your long-distance travel. Has information from most popular international airports, but can sometimes be sparse on domestic flights.

If you have any other Honeycomb-optimized apps you want to suggest or would like me to feature, please let me know in the comments! It's okay if you are the app's developer, too.

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