Android 3.0 Honeycomb received its much-anticipated release earlier this year, and since then it’s earned some very complimentary reviews from those in the know.

Samsung and Motorola have released great Honeycomb tablets and other manufacturers are scrambling to release devices that use the tablet-optimized version of Google’s OS. Big names like HTC, LG, MSI and Toshiba all reportedly have new tablets in the pipeline.

But has the industry buzz translated to actual sales? And, if so, does Android 3.0 Honeycomb stand a chance of knocking the incumbent iPad from its position as number one?

In a recent analysis by JP Morgan, the firm found lower-than-anticipated demand for both Honeycomb and RIM BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. At the same time financial research firms Goldman Sachs and Jefferies & Co have also reduced their expectations for the tablet market – thanks largely to the subdued take-up of Android 3.0.

In a report issued June 1, 2011, JP Morgan’s Mark Moskowitz wrote: “Beyond Apple’s iPad, there has not been another high-volume tablet offering to hit the market. Our research indicates that tablet build plans in the aggregate have declined approximately 10 percent since early March.”

While Google will undoubtedly be disappointed by the Honeycomb’s sluggish start, there’s no reason why, given additional devices, the Android won’t become to the tablet market what it is to smartphones: a market leader.

Here are Android 3.0 Honeycomb’s best features that guarantee a sleeper hit:

Overhauled widgets. Thanks to the updated UI, developers should have minimal trouble adding new content to existing apps. Not surprisingly, the new UI widgets focus on bigger tablet-sized screens.

Improved keyboard & copy/paste. In an effort to boost both speed and accuracy, Android 3.0 features a soft keyboard on larger screen size. This will be a welcome addition for users, no question.

3D is superior to Apple’s efforts. Graphics look the business with Android 3.0. Things flow beautifully, with little-to-no noticeable lag. In addition to sharp 3D, Honeycomb supports multicore processor architectures – that equals high-performance 2D graphics as well.

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