Android 4.1 Jelly Bean: everything you need to know
Today at I/O 2012, Google officially announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the latest version of its mobile OS. Dig into the latest on Project Butter, Offline Voice Typing, Predictive Keyboard, and more here!
Android 4.1 headed to Droid RAZR M, Motorola launches Test Drive program for future updates
Two months after release, Motorola's Droid RAZR M is set to receive a much-anticipated update to Android 4.1 in the coming weeks. The Jelly Bean rollout was announced by the Google-owned manufacturer via Twitter, with Verizon also posting a support document confirming the release. That's a faster turnaround time than what we've seen from other Android OEMs, no doubt aided by Motorola's relatively streamlined and inoffensive software skin. It's also likely that the company began working on...
Samsung begins Galaxy S III Jelly Bean updates, 15 additional models scheduled
In an email from Samsung to The Verge, the company has announced that it's updating its flagship Galaxy S III handset to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, starting today. Poland is the first market to receive the update, which brings Google Now, Project Butter, and other enhancements, but Samsung says Jelly Bean will "gradually" be introduced to other markets soon; how quickly you get it will "vary by market and wireless carriers' requirements." The update will also bring a few Samsung-specific...
Verizon finally rolling out Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean for the Galaxy Nexus
Google announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean back in June and released it for the unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus a few weeks later, but Verizon's version has remained stuck on Ice Cream Sandwich. However, with very little fanfare, the carrier finally released the latest version of Android to Galaxy Nexus users. This comes just a few weeks after Sprint updated its own Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S hardware to the latest version of Android — Verizon's a little late, but the Galaxy Nexus is still getting...
Sprint rolling out Android 4.1 update to Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S
Some time after Android 4.1 Jelly bean came to the unlocked HSPA+ model of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, Sprint has confirmed that it is rolling out the update to its own version of the phone. The latest update will add Google Now, some performance improvements, and other Jelly Bean features; it will also discontinue support for Adobe Flash Player. As of today, the update should start showing up as an over the air download. The Galaxy Nexus has been updated to Android 4.1 outside the US, but this...
Asus rolling out Transformer Pad TF300T update with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
As promised, Asus looks to be rolling out Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for its Transformer Pad TF300T. According to Android Central, users have started receiving an over the air update to Jelly Bean over the past day. Installing it apparently disables Flash — which was recently discontinued for Android — and also makes Wi-Fi Direct unusable, but it adds support for Google Now and other standard Jelly Bean features. Eventually, the new firmware should show up on the Asus support page, but for...
Sony corrects itself, says it hasn't ruled out Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on any 2011 phones
Sony has backed off an earlier claim that some 2011 Xperia phones would not be getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. After a UK product manager posted on Facebook that the Xperia Arc S and Mini Pro weren't being upgraded to the newest Android version, a spokesperson posted a correction on the Sony blog:
A quick note – during a Q&A session last week on our Sony Mobile GB Facebook page, a local spokesperson gave information out in error on our Android 4.1 Jelly Bean software development and...
Sony UK confirms Xperia Arc S and Mini Pro not getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Sony UK has confirmed that a couple Xperia handsets will not be receiving Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. John Cooper, UK product manager for Sony Mobile, responded to Facebook questions concerning Sony Mobile and the Xperia line by stating that the Arc S and Mini Pro won't be getting the latest version of the operating system. He also mentioned that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has been approved for the entire Xperia S line, but that the company has no announcements regarding a Jelly Bean update....
Motorola Xoom users receiving Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean (Update: Motorola confirms)
The wait for Jelly Bean could be over for Google’s other Nexus device. Some owners of Motorola’s Xoom report having received OTA updates to Android 4.1.1, despite not being part of a Motorola feedback program that gives users early access to the software. There still hasn't been an official announcement from either Google or Motorola, so it’s possible that this is a limited rollout before the update gets pushed to the masses, but the news is encouraging nonetheless. After patiently...
Mobile
Motorola testing Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for Xoom Wi-Fi
Google promised back at I/O that Android 4.1 would be coming to the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, and Motorola Xoom this month, but while we've seen Jelly Bean updates for both phones the Xoom has so far been left out. That could change soon, though, as Motorola has apparently been trialling an over-the-air Jelly Bean upgrade with Xoom Wi-Fi owners who previously signed up to test the software.
These tests of near-final software updates are common, but Android Central has acquired what it says is...
Android
Asus Transformer Pad line to get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in 'coming months'
Asus has just confirmed that it will be upgrading its Transformer Pad line to Jelly bean "in the coming months." The Transformer Pad, Transformer Prime, and Transformer Pad Infinity are all scheduled to receive the update, and Asus says it will "provide further guidance on our expected timeframes for these updates near their release." It did not confirm whether any other products would receive Android 4.1. Asus was obviously first out of the gate with Jelly Bean on its Nexus 7, and it's great...
OTA Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update available for some Nexus S variants
Some Nexus S owners anticipating the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean have something to be happy about — the over-the-air update for the i9023 and i9020T hardware variants is beginning to be pushed out to users. While there doesn’t appear to be an official update for other variants at the present time, Android Police is pointing i9020a owners to a workaround discussed on the XDA Developers forum. If you're the kind of person that can't bear the thought of waiting for OTA notifications,...
Mobile
HTC working on Android 4.1 upgrade for One X and One S, claims Telstra
HTC may be working on an Android 4.1 update for its One XL (the international LTE version of the One X) and One S phones according to Australian carrier Telstra. The carrier's smartphone software updates page currently shows that "HTC is preparing an update" but gives no date for when it will be submitted to Telstra, let alone when it will be rolled out. This is the first we've heard from HTC on Jelly Bean updates for their devices, but it should be noted that this information is coming...
Mobile
Nexus S Jelly Bean update halted by Vodafone Australia
If yesterday's news that the Nexus S would be updated to Android 4.1 in Australia today had sparked your hope for a timely global rollout, unfortunately we're here to extinguish that flame of desire. Vodafone has postponed the scheduled Jelly Bean update because it apparently doesn't "meet all the Australian regulatory requirements related to emergency calls."
While this doesn't sound like it should affect other countries, global versions of the GSM Nexus S were updated to Android 4.0 at...
Mobile
Android 4.1 coming to Nexus S on Vodafone Australia July 19th, rest of world at the same time?
Vodafone Australia has announced that its version of the Nexus S will be getting an over-the-air update to Android 4.1 on July 19th, which may also signal an international rollout for GSM models at the same time. While Google's last Nexus S update saw a concerted international release, some variants received the update after quite a noticeable delay.
Vodafone's blog also says Samsung is "prepping" the Galaxy Nexus Android 4.1 update for submission to the testing process, so the Nexus S might...
Android
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean begins rolling out to the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus
We knew it was just a matter of time, and now Google has announced that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has begun rolling out to the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus. For owners of the phone, the new OS will be appearing over the next few days as an over-the-air update, bringing Google Now, an improved keyboard, and several other features we covered in our extensive review of Android's latest iteration. The HSPA+ model won't be the only one getting the update either, with Google confirming that all Galaxy Nexus,...
Mobile
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean review
Google's latest version of the Android operating system is here and will be rolling out to a precious few devices later this month. Unlike the last iteration, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is more about refinement than revolution, but a new feature called "Google Now" has the potential to finally achieve some of the promises we've all heard from smartphone companies for years now. Beyond that, if you're one of the (sadly small) number of people who have used stock Android 4.0, there's nothing here...
Apps & Software
Jelly Bean factory image for Nexus 7 released, lets you go back to stock
There are certainly lots of benefits to Google's Nexus program, and one of them is that the search company provides flashable stock images to make it easy for developers (and Android enthusiasts) to get a fresh start after bricking a Nexus device. Of course, Google has just released the Nexus 7, and right on cue it has uploaded the device's factory image of Jelly Bean onto the Android Developers website for all to use. The 246MB download is an important step in ensuring that developers feel...
Android
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean 'Liveness Check' hopes to stop Face Unlock from being fooled by photos
Face Unlock has been a bit of a novelty ever since Google introduced it in Android 4.0, but any sense of security offered by the feature disappeared once it was revealed that it could be easily tricked by a photograph. For Google's part it has always labeled the option as "low-security" and "experimental," but it has now taken a step to stop photo-equipped thieves with a new "Liveness Check" that requires a user to blink before granting access to the phone. The search company has taken a page...
Android
Google Currents to become a preinstalled app in Jelly Bean
It looks like Google Currents is about to get promoted to the highly-vaunted "bundled app" status. That's right, the magazine-style Flipboard competitor is joining rank among Gmail, YouTube, Talk, and Maps in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. That means the app will be preinstalled on new devices like the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus, and it will also be included in that OTA Jelly Bean update that's set to arrive on the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, and Motorola Xoom in mid-July. According to Android Central,...
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean hands-on impressions (update: video!)
We've shown you the Google Nexus 7 by Asus and told you about the surprising quality you'll get starting at $199, but the most important part of the tablet is arguably the software that's inside. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is here at Google I/O, and we've just spent some quality time with the new revision of the OS. As you'd expect from the ".1," it's not a giant leap forward from Ice Cream Sandwich on phones, but it brings some fairly exciting new features, major tweaks, and brings the tablet...
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in pictures
Google is very good about launching its emulators of the newest versions of Android just as they announce them, and today is no different — Jelly Bean is available now for developers to begin tooling with and testing their apps on. We've taken the opportunity to install the new SDK to spend some extended time with the new operating system, so join us, won't you?
The first thing we noticed after booting up Android 4.1 is that this really is a fairly minor update — the major changes that...
Google Play updated with movie and TV purchase support and magazine subscriptions
Google is announcing a host of changes to its Play service today. Movie and TV shows are now available to purchase from Google Play, including individual episodes or entire seasons. Magazine support is also coming to Google Play today, allowing users to access their favorite subscriptions. Google announced content partnerships with Disney, ABC, NBC, Universal, Sony Pictures, and Paramount alongside magazines from Conde Nast and Hearst.
Check out our Google I/O 2012 day one keynote live blog...
Android
Google announces 20 billion app installs, 600,000 apps and games
During the I/O Keynote, Google announced that it's reached 20 billion Android app installs in the Play Store. In total, 600,000 apps and games are available, with free apps in 190 countries and paid ones in 132. In-app purchases are also a large and lucrative part of sales: 50 percent of revenue apparently comes from billing within apps. Google's still trailing Apple in download numbers here: at WWDC, Apple said it had 30 billion app downloads since the launch of its store in 2008. The total...
Google will release an Platform Development Kit for hardware developers ahead of each major Android upgrade
In addition to providing an SDK for its software developers, Google has just announced that it will release a Platform Development Kit (PDK) for chipset vendors and other hardware developers that will allow them to port Android to their hardware. Google says that the PDK will be available to Android partners between two and three months before major Android updates.
Check out our Google I/O 2012 day one keynote live blog for the latest updates!
Apps & Software
Jelly Bean rolling out to Galaxy Nexus, Xoom, and Nexus S in mid-July OTA
Google has announced that Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, will be rolled out to the Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Xoom, and Nexus S via an over-the-air update in mid-July. That's a major departure from Ice Cream Sandwich updates, which took far longer to get to the Xoom and the Nexus S. Unfortunately, it isn't clear if this update schedule will apply to all versions of these devices — we've certainly seen before that carrier variants of Nexus devices can see a much longer wait than their international...
Android
Google Now: search based on time and location
As part of its Android Jelly Bean update, Google has just announced Google Now — a card-based search interface that takes your location and the time into effect to give you more useful information. Google Now works by using your search history, calendar, and location to help make search more relevant. For example, if you have a calendar event, Google Now "will help you get there on time" — if you take the bus, it tells you how long it will take to walk to the bus and when the next bus...
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean coming in July with Project Butter UI, Google Now, richer notifications
The next major upgrade to Android will be version 4.1 Jelly Bean, it has been announced at Google I/O today. Project Butter is the major new innovation in Android 4.1, focused on making the entire UI "fast, fluid and smooth." That includes triple buffering in the graphics pipeline, to ensure consistent frame rates with interface animations. Google's I/O demo showed two Galaxy Nexus devices side by side, one running Ice Cream Sandwich and the other on Jelly Bean, with the latter offering a...
