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Topic: Android

Samsung Galaxy S3 gets Android Jelly Bean

Summary: The rollout of Android 4.1 to the flagship S III handset has begun, with customers in Poland and elsewhere in eastern Europe being the first to benefit.

David Meyer

By David Meyer |

Samsung has begun rolling out the Android 'Jelly Bean' 4.1 update for its flagship Galaxy S III handset, beginning in eastern Europe.

Samsung Galaxy S3
The Samsung Galaxy S III is getting Android Jelly Bean. Image: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET News

Early on Monday morning, the first forum reports emerged of the update becoming available in Poland, through Samsung's Kies synchronisation software. Other eastern European countries such as Romania also seem to be getting the update, according to the SamMobile blog, which broke the news.

The manufacturer had previously predicted the Jelly Bean update would come out in October, so the release is early.

The Galaxy S III is the most prominent Android handset at the moment, and Samsung the leading Android manufacturer. Jelly Bean comes to the phone with Samsung customisations, but its biggest addition is that of the Google Now personal assistant feature.

According to SamMobile, other enhancements in the customised version include better performance, multiple homescreen modes, a new notifications bar — Jelly Bean allows for rich notifications — and a resizeable pop-out video player window.

Topics: Android, Mobility, Samsung

David Meyer

About David Meyer

David Meyer is a freelance technology journalist. He fell into journalism when he realised his musical career wouldn't pay the bills. David's main focus is on communications, as well as internet technologies, regulation and mobile devices.

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33 comments
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  • S III and J Bean

    Thanks for the info but most of us don't love in Lower Sloblovia for goodness sake. How about telling us when it arrives in the USA!?
    nexusgalaxy
    Reply Vote

    • Re: S III and J Bean

      As far as mobile phones are concerned, the USA IS Lower Slobbovia.
      ldo17
      Reply 3 Votes

      • S III and J Bean

        LOL, right you are!
        nexusgalaxy
        Reply Vote

      • As far as mobile phones are concerned, the USA IS Lower Slobbovia.

        And Canada is Lower, Lower Slobbovia....
        orr@...
        Reply Vote

    • Stop waiting for someone to do your job

      Its not his job to tell you when it reaches you. Its your job to figure that out on your own. You guys crack me up expecting someone to do the work for you. Go to XDA and get it now. Oh Yeah, you're to scared to do it yourself, but you want someone else to do your homework. Its no wonder American's behind on most everything. We've turned into a nation of followers. Stop playing follow the leader and go get it yourself. Its already available here in the US.
      andrej770
      Reply 1 Vote

      • Bad logic

        Users should not have to jump through hoops to update their phone.
        Michael Alan Goff
        Reply 2 Votes

        • You bought the phone as is just like you did your car

          Stop expecting someone to come chasing behind you to find ways to update your phone. Its your device. You state you want to be able to to do with it as you please, then do so and stop waiting for someone else to give you permission. You have to jump through hoops to update your car, think likewise about your phone. Stop being a follower. If you want to update your phone, go buy a new one. We've gotten so use to people "giving" us stuff and "providing" for us that we forgot how to be leaders even in our own homes. If you want it, go get it..Period.
          andrej770
          Reply Vote

          • Bad analogy

            If something goes wrong with a car, a design flaw, there is a chance that the car maker will get sued. If I get hacked on my Android Phone, due to a flaw in Android, who gets to suffer the wrath of the legal system? Nobody. Why? Because software isn't like a physical product, it doesn't have to have any real standard when it is released.

            Thank you for the bad analogy, though.
            Michael Alan Goff
            Reply 1 Vote

          • No, it's a great analogy

            Your car gets recalls for safety features that ultimately protect your security while using the car. Your phone gets patches for security that ultimately protect your security while using the phone.

            But essentially you get the initial car. It doesn't change without you investing money, i.e. you don't get a free after-market stereo - you pay for it, you don't get a free after-market bug shield - you pay for it. Of course, you can buy the car with these options already installed, but you pay for that as well.

            Essentially you pay for extras on your phone. The apps (that aren't free apps) you pay for, you pay for a microSD card to expand the memory (well, if you don't have an iPhone that is), etc. And again you can get these "extras" but you will pay for them.

            And using your hacked example, what happens if you get hacked on your iPhone? Same thing as if you're hacked on your Android phone or your Windows phone or your Symbian phone or your webOS phone. And please don't talk about any of these OS's being harder/easier to hack into - all phones are hackable.
            benched42
            Reply Vote

          • mmmkay

            Don't need a memory card with a galaxy s3, it has 32gb of memory. And people don't want to hack or root their phones, it voids the warranty. U cant root a car, so u can't void the warranty on it. If u void the warranty n fry ur phone, ur fucked. Some of us don't have an unlimited income and don't skip paying bills to buy the newest gadget. I saved and used birthday money from my husband's grandparents, so I can't afford to root my phone n void the warranty. And insurance won't cover it either if u brick it. It covers accidents. I know about insurance, I sell it. It doesn't cover stupidity.....
            Michelle Sinnett Lewis
            Reply Vote

          • andrej770

            Andrej770 sounds very angry about nothing. He's probably in his trailer beating his dog right now. I was going to say wife, but no chance this guy is married. He spends all day trying to beat down others.
            sdiddydaddy@...
            Reply 1 Vote

          • Thanks, geek with attitude

            Here's the deal, Andrej: while I'm a programmer with 35 years experience, I'd prefer not to take the chance bricking my $500 phone by rooting it just to get Jelly Bean a few days or weeks earlier. XDA? Who? Trustworthy? Do I know these guys? No, I don't. For all know, they could be fronting Al Qaeda and planning on launching cyber attacks via zombied phones.

            Yeah, I'll do that, kid, right away.
            Brook Monroe
            Reply Vote

          • DON'T insult ANYONE FROM XDA

            You may have that attitude towards the hardworking guys at XDA, but they're taking their OWN time away from anything that they might need doing to work towards helping people like you. So don't insult them, claiming that all they're doing is hacking your phones to use them as a 'zombie' network.

            I've used XDA. I've never heard of one complaint about viruses or infections from a custom ROM or otherwise. Its a stable, very popular, and quite safe solution to upgrading any Android device.

            They're awesome! Don't diss em ;)
            Walkop
            Reply Vote

          • XDA

            Well said, Walkop. I've used other open source projects (Cyanogenmod) to turn my HP TouchPad (with few apps and no chance at some very useful apps) into an Android tablet running ICS that I use every day for a variety of tasks.
            benched42
            Reply Vote

          • Well, Brook

            If you don't know XDA your could learn about them. And you could see they promote open source. And since you are a programmer with 35 years of experience you could go through the code XDA publishes and find the "fronting Al Qaeda and planning on launching cyber attacks via zombied phones" code and remove it if you wished. Unless you aren't a programmer at all.
            benched42
            Reply Vote

          • Wow, two people said they're okay

            That's all I need, I'm going to trust people with something that voids my warranty over what two people from the internet say.
            Michael Alan Goff
            Reply Vote

  • Re: S III and J Bean

    This is sad but true. That's it...I'm moving to Lower Slobovia. Not only do they have nice weather but they also have JB for S III!
    Derodicus
    Reply Vote

  • Phone Launches...

    Why do most phone launches hit Europe first? They are the first one to get updates too. Any reason?
    mikes_phone_and_tab
    Reply Vote

    • Update hitting Europe first vs US

      @mikes_phone_and_tab

      I believe it is mostly due to US only be a small percentage of users vs the rest of the world.... Europe has more users using Samsung phones than the US. So it goes without saying that they would cater to the bigger group first.
      AODfan
      Reply 2 Votes

    • That is an easy question to answer

      Look at the Apple vs Samsung court decision in the US vs the rest of the world. The US is an extremely hostile place for non Apple companies to do business in. We suffer because of it. Sad but true.
      toddbottom3
      Reply 2 Votes
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