Google: Android 2.2 Froyo Not Designed For Tablets

Hardware makers are lining up Android 2.2 Froyo-based tablets to take on Apple's iPad tablet device. There's just one problem: Android 2.2. Froyo was not designed to work on devices with screens so large. The main problem lies with the Android Market.

Speaking to TechRadar, Hugo Barra, director of products for mobile at Google, said, "Android is an open platform. We saw at IFA 2010 all sorts of devices running Android, so it already running on tablet. But the way Android Market works is it's not going to be available on devices that don't allow applications to run correctly. Which devices do, and which don't will be unit specific, but Froyo is not optimized for use on tablets."

One of the reasons is the screen size and resolution. Right now, Android's upper limit for resolution is 854 by 480 according to documentation on the Android Developer site. There are varying screen sizes that support this resolution, but it depends on the pixel density.

For example, high density displays with 240ppi can support WVGA (480 x 800) on devices with screens measuring 3.3 to 4.0 inches across the diagonal. Those numbers change to 3.5 to 4.0 inches for screens that have FWVGA (480 x 854) resolution.

Believe it or not, lower density displays can stretch larger than the high density ones. For example, WVGA (480 x 800) screens with 160ppi can span 4.8 to 5.5 inches, and FWVGA (480 x 854) screens can read 5.0 to 5.8 inches across the diagonal.

This is why so many of the Android devices with 4-inch screens have the same resolution as those with 3.7- and 3.5-inch screens.

The important factor is that developers of Android applications design their applications to support these screen sizes and resolutions.

Let's consider the most recently announced Android 2.2 tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It boasts a 7-inch screen measuring 1024 x 600 pixels. That resolution isn't officially supported by Android. Since applications won't work properly on a screen with that dimension and resolution, the Android Market won't be available.

Barra said, "If you want Android market on that platform, the apps just wouldn't run, [Froyo] is just not designed for that form factor. We want to make sure that we're going to create a application distribution mechanism for the Android Market, to ensure our users have right experience."

Bottom line? Anyone who runs out and buys a fancy new tablet running Android 2.2 might not have any access to applications. That will effectively kill the usefulness and utility of any Android tablet. By way of comparison, the iPad has 25,000 applications designed specifically to run on its 9.7-inch screen.

Thankfully, Google has hinted that Android 3.0 will be better suited to the tablet form factor.