Android 3.0, codenamed Gingerbread, will soon be completed and arrive on select tablets this December, according to DigiTimes. These devices will just be early samples only for engineers; the rest of us will have to wait till the public launch in January where HTC, Samsung, and Motorola will be showing off their Gingerbread tablets at CES 2011. Acer, Asustek Computer, and Micro-Star International are also expected to launch their tablet PCs then, but the report didn't specify whether they will have Android 3.0.
With Google set to launch Android 4.0, codenamed Ice Cream, in the second half of 2011, the search giant will likely use version 3.0 to gradually increase its share in the tablet PC market while Ice Cream will be the real push.
The news comes right after details of Android 3.0 started to leak out earlier this week. Gingerbread should focus heavily on an improved user experience, with a more unified UI that includes redesigned icons, notification bar, and built-in apps. Google also reportedly has plans to add support for video chat, Wi-Fi calling, and possibly hardware acceleration.