Android 3.1 Updates To Hit Acer Iconia Tab A500 And Asus Eee Pad Transformer

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We’ve heard a lot out here about the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, and even a bit about the Acer Iconia Tab A500, but now, these two big names are going to get a shot of extra power in the form of an Android update set to hit this June. The two tablets will now be running in Android 3.1.

While most of the news about the Asus Eee Pad Transformer has been revolving around just how hard it is to actually find one of these, and the Acer Iconia Tab A500 hasn’t even been out a month yet, this is some definitely positive news.While Motorola was definitely faster on the update trigger than Asus and Acer, it’s only been about a week since the first plans were reportedly announced to bring out Android 3.1 functionality for most anything. Basically, starting in June, Acer will sell Iconia Tab A500 units with Android 3.1 onboard, and if you’ve already got one running 3.0, an update will follow soon after. Asus, meanwhile, has been talking up the upgrade out on its Italian-version Facebook page, so if you actually managed to get your hands on an Eee Pad Transformer, you’ll see it get its upgrades directly.

And indeed, there are some pretty substantial upgrades involved here–Android 3.1 will bring in widgets you can resize yourself, as well as support for your USB gear as well as apps for movies and books, which means this isn’t some pointless fluff update but rather a pretty substantial boost to your tablet’s functionality.

Frankly, it couldn’t come at a better time. With people starting to question the viability of Android gear in the face of the 800-pound gorilla in the room that goes by the name of iPad, well, anything that the Android gear can do to look better is definitely something they should do.

But is this going to be enough? What do you think Android tablets should be packing in to distinguish themselves from Apple gear, which is still pretty much ruling the roost? Hit the comments section and tell us what you think!