Samsung Galaxy S3 gets Android Jelly Bean

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

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.