Google officially unveiled Honeycomb – version 3.0 of its Android operating system – earlier today, and there are already tablet-optimized business apps lined up for the brand new OS.
Of course, apps designed for previous versions of Android should work just fine in Honeycomb, so current users won’t lose their favorite productivity tools. Here are a few tablet-specific apps just announced today.
Fuze Meeting: HD Video Conferencing
Web meeting and collaboration app Fuze Meeting will be the first app of its kind on Honeycomb. Competitors like WebEx and GoToMeeting have long been available on Apple’s iPad, but have yet to join Fuze Meeting in making the jump to Android.
The new version Fuze Meeting features 1080p HD multi-party video conferencing and the ability to initiate and host meetings directly from the device, rather than scheduling them from a desktop computer, which is often required by such apps.
GoPayment: Mobile Payments
GoPayment is Intuit’s version of the much buzzed-about Square credit card reader, and it’s ready for Honeycomb. GoPayment already supports Blackberry, iPhone, iPad and previous versions of Android so it’s only natural that they’d be quick to get in on the Android tablet action.
The Honeycomb version of the GoPayment app lets small businesses sell products and accept credit card payments directly from an Android tablet, and the app includes a Web shopping cart-style interface, complete with product photos (which can be snapped using the device’s camera).
Solutions like GoPayment, Square and others are huge for smaller businesses, who often forgo the ability to accept credit cards in traditional ways due to the burdensome costs.
Would you consider using an Android tablet for business productivity? What are some must-have apps you’ve seen or are otherwise waiting on? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
