Rumor Mill: LG to release 'Honeycomb' Android tablet in Q1

LG Electronics is getting its Android tablet plans back on track, according to a report, and will release an 8.9-inch tablet running the "Honeycomb" version of Google's mobile platform in the first quarter of next year.

Citing an unnamed LG official, the South Korean news outlet MK News said LG will release the tablet, dubbed the LG Pad, in Korea and international markets once Google releases the new platform. Google's next two Android iterations are expected to be nicknamed Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

LG's tablet has been designed for both European and North American consumers' tastes, the report said, and will run Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual-core processor. An LG spokeswoman, Sally Lee, declined to comment on the report. LG has tapped Nvidia to provide chips for its Optimus Android phones.

LG's tablet, if it is released as described, will sit between Samsung's 7-inch GalaxyTab and Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) 9.7-inch iPad, which is currently dominating the tablet market. LG last month delayed its tablet plans because it did not want to put the current version of Android--2.2 or Froyo--on its device.

The decision by LG to push back its tablet plans was notable because a Google executive said in September that Android 2.2 is not optimized for tablets. Samsung's GalaxyTab runs on Android 2.2, and all four Tier 1 carriers will launch the GalaxyTab this holiday season.

For more:
- see this MK News article
- see this Engadget post

Related Articles:
LG scraps plans for Android 2.2 tablet
Google exec: Android currently not optimized for tablets
LG jumping into Android tablet market
LG banks on Optimus Android smartphones
LG plans 10 more smartphones in 2010, leans on Nvidia for chips