Android 3.2: SD Card Support



Big picture stuff aside, one of the most noteworthy changes in Android 3.2 is the long overdue addition of SD card support. While some tablets -- the Asus Transformer and Toshiba Thrive, for example -- have supported external storage from the start, those instances have been the results of manufacturer-made software modifications. As Xoom owners know all too well, the pure Honeycomb OS has annoyingly lacked SD card functionality up until now.

Take note, though: With Android 3.2, SD card support means something slightly different than what it's meant in the past. Whereas Android smartphones treat SD cards like regular drives, with full read and write access, Android 3.2 tablets view external cards in a much less PC-like manner. In short, apps can read an SD card -- but they can't write to it.

The reason: Google has switched to a new protocol for SD card handling in the 3.2 release. The thinking seems to be that with the high amount of internal space provided on Honeycomb tablets, most users will be turning to SD cards for purposes like media storage as opposed to application and app data storage. With that mentality, writing data from a tablet to an external card becomes less important, and a simplified user experience -- one that's less dependent on a user's understanding of file system structure -- becomes a higher priority.

To be clear, you can still write to a mounted SD card via your PC, using a USB connection; you just can't do it from the tablet itself. That means in an Android file manager utility like Astro, you'll be able to browse through the SD card and access its files, but if you try to copy files to the SD card or edit any SD-card-stored files, you'll find those options to be grayed out and unavailable.




In my Android 3.2 testing, I did run into a handful of issues with certain apps being able to properly detect and read files on my SD card. Neither Photoshop Express nor PicSay, for example, saw any of the files on a card I inserted. A Google spokesperson tells me this is likely because the apps are using an API to detect only the first external storage source they can find -- which, in this case, comes up as the "sdcard" partition that actually resides on the Xoom's internal drive. The apps would apparently be better off using the Android MediaStore API, which would allow them to find all available media files on all storage present. Hopefully this is a kink developers will be able to work out sooner than later.

SD Card Correction
You state "To be clear, you can still write to a mounted SD card via your PC, using a USB connection; you just can't do it from the tablet itself." On the Asus Transformer, you could (and still can) write to an SD card. I do move things from the main storage to the both cards, do card to card, etc. flawlessly.

Google Working On Nexus Tablet Of ‘Highest Quality’ To Compete With iPad

When Apple announced the iPad, I didn’t rush to get the device. Why would I want a larger, over-glorified iPhone? Yet here I am with an iPad 2 lying nearby. The truth is, I didn’t need the device, but playing with the gadget here and there made me want it. When the second model hit the shelves, I picked one up.



Apple didn’t invent the tablet; they have been around for quite some time. Apple made them popular. Critics believed the device wouldn’t necessarily be a failure but predicted demand for it would be limited. Now most manufacturers are playing catch-up, competing in a market that Apple helped create. Unfortunately, none of them have been as successful.

The HP TouchPad was a train wreck. After disappointing sales, the device only become popular after HP discontinued then listed it on sale for the low price of $99. The BlackBerry PlayBook fared no better. Recently, RIM was forced to write off nearly a half-billion dollars in unsold PlayBook tablets.

Google Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, believes he will have better luck. In an interview with the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sea, he hinted to an official Nexus tablet to be released within six months. He praised Steve Jobs, calling him the “Michelangelo of our time,” but was quick to say that Apple and Google are in a brutal competition.

Google has had some experience with the tablet development process. Earlier this year, the search giant and Motorola joined efforts to create the Xoom, the first tablet to use Google’s Honeycomb OS. Unfortunately, critics found many drawbacks including a lackluster performance.

Since Google is well on its way in acquiring Motorola, the new tablet may offer a bigger bang for your buck. Google will have more control in the entire development process. Before, it was limited to just creating the operating system the device runs.

Schmidt didn’t offer many details but an official Nexus tablet will most likely run Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android. He did confirm voice recognition support as one of the device’s features. You can currently use your voice to search on the Google Chrome browser. Something similar on a tablet will compete head-to-head with Apple’s Siri. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as more information is discovered.