Google on Wednesday provided a glimpse at tablet computer software crafted to dethrone the iPad and courted developers key to the success of Apple gadgets.
Google showed off a Honeycomb version of its Android operating system that will debut on the upcoming Motorola Xoom tablet that won raves at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month.
"Honeycomb is tailored for the new generation of tablet-sized computers," Google mobile products director Hugo Barra said while demonstrating software features at the Internet titan's headquarters in Mountain View, California.
"We've spent a tremendous amount of time really optimizing performance on Honeycomb."
The free, open-source operating system is expected to quickly be built into an array of tablets in a booming market currently dominated by the iPad launched by Apple last year.
In a sign that Google is intent on wooing the developers behind the "apps" fueling the popularity of smartphones and tablets, executives here stressed that Honeycomb is built as a platform for software innovation.
Google also announced the launch of an Android Market Web store where people can get fun, functional or hip applications for devices running on the mobile operating software.
Google set out to address a long-standing lament by allowing developers to make money from in-application transactions such as buying virtual goods, music or other digital offerings.
"We've gotten a fair amount of feedback from developers that they want more ways to make money from their applications," said Android engineering director Chris Yerga.
"Today, we are releasing code for in-app monetization to the entire Android developer community."