Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note May Get JellyBean Update Soon

Its not official but  the word on the street is that, in addition to testing Jelly Bean for the Galaxy S III, Samsung is readying Android 4.1.1 updates for the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note. At least, the international versions will receive them in the coming months while our North American variants (Bell’s i9100 notwithstanding) may have to wait a few months longer.

The good news here is that Samsung is not resting on its laurels with its legacy devices, and has confirmed to insiders at SamMobile that the it’s 2011 flagship devices will receive Jelly Bean. We’re looking forward to seeing how much Butter the update brings to the table, but we’re not holding our collective breaths for any cosmetic changes.

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy S III running Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) gets spied on video

Well, well, look what we have here. A video has surfaced on a Mexican site showing the Samsung Galaxy S III running some buttery smooth Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) goodness (check out our review of the Verizon versionhere). In the video you get an idea of what Jelly Bean would officially look like on the GS3. You can expect to see Android 4.1 with TouchWiz customizations running on top of it. The video tips off the presence of newly released Jelly Bean features like Google Now and the redesigned notification area present on the handset.

The device looks pretty speedy with Jelly Bean, but it’s nothing new, as we’ve already become accustomed to the speed boost that Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) brought to the OS. That said, we’re sure Jelly Bean will bring even more smoothness to the handset. If you live overseas and own the international version, start hoping and praying that these rumors of a September roll out of the JB update is true. It’s been amazing to see Samsung continue to roll even with all this legal crap going on with Apple.

Who out there is excited about getting Jelly Bean soon on their Galaxy S III?

Check out the video below!

[AndroidMX; via MoDaCo]

Read more »

Acer confirms Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for select Iconia tablets

You can say that the race is definitely on – with different tablet manufacturers working hard to release the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for their respective pieces of hardware. We do know that Acer did roll out a quartet of new tablets this year – including the Iconia Tab A200 that we see above, the Iconia Tab 110, the Iconia Tab 510, and the Iconia Tab 700 that sports a Full HD display. The thing is, they all do not come with the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update, but rather, run on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Needless to say, some of the customers do expect some Android 4.1 Jelly Bean goodness to come their way, and Dutch website Tablet Guide reported that Acer has already confirmed that the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update is coming. No exact model names were given, and neither was there any timeframe revealed either. Hopefully something official will be released from the horse’s mouth in due time, and we just cannot wait.

Read more »

Motorola Xoom WiFi soon Will be Updated to Android Jelly Bean

Just in case you needed any other sort of confirmation that the soak test happening for the Motorola Xoom WiFi in the U.S. was indeed Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, we managed to score the full and complete change log for you all:

Android 4.1.1, Jelly Bean Software Update for the Motorola XOOM™ WIFI in the U.S.

Introduction - We are pleased to announce a new software update for the Motorola XOOM™ WIFI in the US. This Android 4.1.1 (JRO03H) software update includes numerous enhancements. Upgrade today for peak performance.
Who Can Use This Release - ALL Motorola XOOM U.S. WIFI users.
After downloading and installing the software release, you will notice:

• Improved User Interface and Response - Android 4.1.1, Jelly Bean, is the fastest and smoothest version of Android yet. Moving between home screens and switching between apps is effortless, like turning pages in a book. Jelly Bean makes your Android device even more responsive by boosting your device’s CPU instantly when you touch the screen, and turns it down when you don’t need it to improve battery life.
• Expandable, Actionable Notifications - Now you can take action directly from the notifications shade. And because the notifications are expandable, you can get an even deeper look into the things that matter most, like multiple emails or photos on Google+.
• Widgets work like magic - With Jelly Bean it’s now even easier to personalize your home screen. As you place widgets on the screen, everything else automatically moves to make room. When they’re too big, widgets resize on their own. Interacting with your favorite apps and customizing your home screen has never been easier. Seamlessly view and share photos - Just swipe over from camera to filmstrip view to instantly view the photos you just took, and quickly swipe away the ones you don’t like. Now sharing--and bragging--are a breeze.
• A Smarter Keyboard - Android’s dictionaries are now more accurate, more relevant. The language model in Jelly Bean adapts over time, and the keyboard even guesses what the next word will be before you’ve started typing it. search results, so you can always find out more.

• A new look for Search - Android has search at its core. With Jelly Bean, a redesigned experience uses the power of the Knowledge Graph to show you search results in a richer way. It’s easier to quickly get answers and explore and browse search results.

Nothing in there is unexpected really, but it sure is nice to see it all laid out. Now we'll go back to waiting for it to fully appear on some devices considering this release is just for those involved in the soak test, if you happen to see it land on your Xoom, we wouldn't mind you dropping by the forums and saying so.

Read more »

Nexus S from Vodafone will get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean from 19th July

Nexus S from Vodafone will get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean from 19 July Vodafone announces on its website Google's rollout taking its Nexus S from 4.0.4 to 4.1 is scheduled for 1PM AEST on July 9th, at the same time updates are getting pushed for other devices

However, the deployment is slightly delayed on the Nexus S! Jelly Bean should be deployed July 18, 2012!
So, the signs are looking good. We'll be keeping a close eye on this one, but remember, it's pretty likely that this will only apply to the GSM versions as with the Galaxy Nexus -- sorry Sprint users. Until we see it though, as ever, let's treat it with a slight pinch of salt. Carriers have been known to give out incorrect information in the past let's not forget.  

Read more »