jelly bean

Android 4.0 now on a quarter of all Android devices

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is slowly dripping its way onto more devices.

As seen over the last two weeks of October, ICS now flavors 25.8 percent of all Android devices, up from 23.7 percent in the prior month and 20.9 percent in August.

Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, ate up 2.7 percent of the market in October, up from 1.8 percent the previous month.

The most dominant version of Android remains version 2.3, or Gingerbread, still found on more than 54.2 percent of all Android devices. That's down slightly … Read more

Nokia not blocking multiple users on Android phones

Nokia says it's not preventing Google from rolling out multiuser features for phones despite a report suggesting it was playing spoiler for the latest version of Android.

Earlier this week, TechCrunch speculated that Google isn't including multiple account functionality on Android for phones because Nokia already owns the patent for that capability. Nokia has told CNET that wasn't the case.

Nokia had filed for such a patent, but it abandoned its efforts several years ago.

"Though we did indeed file the patent application which has been cited in some of the coverage, we determined some time … Read more

Android 4.2 adds multiple users and panoramic photos, copies Swype and AirPlay

While Google's big press event scheduled for today in New York may have been canceled, the company still decided to move forward with a slew of announcements via blog post. Among them was the release of Android 4.2, an updated version of Jelly Bean to come preinstalled on the new line of Nexus devices.

Swype fans will be pleased to hear that Android 4.2 includes a keyboard that lets users input text via gliding gestures. Not only that, it offers predictions based on common strings of word combinations for "smarter" typing. While the news is … Read more

Nexus 4 phone with Android 4.2 confirmed by Google, LG

Google and LG confirmed today the long leaked Nexus 4 smartphone, which will run on Android 4.2.

The Nexus 4 marks the first Nexus device built by LG, with Google looking to expand its partnerships and keep some of its partners thriving in the brutally competitive smartphone business.

"This is the first time we collaborated with LG to build a Nexus device," Andy Rubin, who runs Android at Google, said in a statement. "They brought an extraordinary amount of talent to the project, and the result is a feature-packed device that feels great in your hand … Read more

Nexus 4 will have wireless charging, leaked manual says

A leaked quick-start manual has confirmed that the Nexus 4 will come with wireless charging.

The highly anticipated 4-inch smartphone will include an induction coil at the back of the device, between the Nexus logo at the top and LG's branding on the lower half of the smartphone. A few pages in, the manual mentions the "wireless charger" directly, and notes that Nexus 4 owners must only "use an approved model."

Pocket-Lint reports that the smartphone will come with only 8GB of internal storage, and because the device lacks a micro-SD slot, users will not … Read more

Sprint Galaxy S3 gets Jelly Bean

Sprint is the first U.S. carrier to deliver an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Samsung Galaxy S3. Available starting this morning as an over-the-air update, the handset will benefit from features such as Google Now, enhanced and expanded notifications, and Android Beam.

Samsung has taken steps to enrich the user experience on its end, giving little extra touches to the camera aspect. Once users download the Jelly Bean update they will discover new live filters for still images and video as well as the power to pause and resume while recording.

What's more, the Galaxy … Read more

Sony will bring Jelly Bean to various Xperia models

Sony today announced that it will provide Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates for a number of its Xperia models. A post on the company blog confirms that the update will hit the Xperia T, Xperia TX, and Xperia V in the first quarter of 2013.… Read more

U.S. Galaxy S3 owners, your wait for Android 4.1 is almost over

The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update will wend its way to Galaxy S3 smartphones in the United States in "coming months," Samsung announced in a press release (see below). The specific launch dates will be revealed by each of the carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and U.S. Cellular.

S3 owners will potentially be able to grab Android 4.1 either over the air or through Samsung's Kies software, which downloads the update to a computer and then syncs it with the smartphone. Each carrier will announce its own update method.

Beyond … Read more

Galaxy S3 Android 4.1 update continues trek through Europe

Android 4.1 continues to reach more Samsung Galaxy S3 owners throughout the world.

France, Spain, Romania, and Austria are the latest spots in Europe to receive the Jelly Bean update for the S3, according to blog site SamMobile. Users in those countries can actually grab the new version from SamMobile. But the site advises people to use Samsung's own Kies software, which downloads updates to a computer and then syncs them with the phone.

CNET has contacted Samsung for comment and will update the story if we receive any information.

So far, the Android 4.1 update has … Read more