OS updates

Google's next version of Android may have taken its latest bow courtesy of a batch of leaked screenshots.

Images obtained and posted by Sammobile purport to reveal an early Android 4.3 build running on the Google Play Edition Galaxy S4. The screenshots clearly display the Android version number as 4.3, while the model number of GT-i9505G refers to Google's new "pure" version of the Galaxy S4.

Another screenshot shows that Google is apparently sticking with the Jelly Bean moniker for Android 4.3.

This isn't the first time Android 4.3 has surfaced … Read more

Verizon Wireless has a rather massive software update ready to issue for the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone.

Expected to roll out over the next few days, the 129MB file delivers handy features such as multiscreen and multiwindow. Other noteworthy changes include the "Best Shot" camera feature, the ability to bill Google Play apps to a Verizon account, and an option to tag weather, people, and places in photos and video.

Indeed, the software update is not all major improvements and new features; bug fixes and minor tweaks are also found throughout. NFC, for instance, is easier to toggle … Read more

There isn't much we can say for certain about the next version of Android. We know that Google engineers are working on it, but that's about the extent of our definite knowledge. Rumors suggest it will be called "Key Lime Pie." It may also come out later this spring. As usual, take all those rumors with a few tasty grains of salt.

While we can't magically read the minds of Google's programmers, we do know they're likely very busy implementing some new features to make the new OS a cut above its predecessor, Jelly Bean. Let's imagine you're able to pin down a Key Lime Pie Googler and offer up a few suggestions. What features are you aching to see in the OS?… Read more

With only a few weeks to go until Google I/O kicks off, Android followers expect to see the debut of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, the platform's next-generation build. Well, you know what they say about assuming, right?

According to Android Police, recent server logs for 4.3 Jelly Bean version of Android are being tested and used in the real world. Specifically, an Android 4.3 JWR23B build has been tracked to Google IPs, and allegedly tied to a pair of employees who "have a lot to do with Android."

Reportedly, two devices were … Read more

Owners of Sony's Xperia S tablet will finally get a crack at Android 4.1.1, aka Jelly Bean, early today.

Sony expects to push the update to its production server sometime between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. PT. Xperia S owners will then receive a notice in the bottom right Notification Area alerting them that a system update is available. Users can also follow the steps outlined on Sony's System Update page to manually check for the latest Android flavor.

The update will be available in the U.S, Canada, and Latin America. … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket owners finally have their shot at Android 4.1.

Available as of Wednesday, the Jelly Bean flavor of Android can be downloaded courtesy of AT&T.

Users can update their OS to Android 4.1.2 by following the how-to page on the carrier's Web site. The update does require Galaxy S2 Skyrocket users to download the software through Samsung's Kies and then sync it with their mobile phone.

Jelly Bean offers a number of enhancements over its predecessor, as an AT&T blog points out.

The notification screen organizes updates … Read more

On what should be a quiet Good Friday, speculation is flying over an Android-themed event that Facebook has scheduled for next Thursday.

Of course, the most low-hanging rumor fruit is that the company will really-we-mean-it-this-time introduce the endlessly discussed "Facebook phone." This is one rumor mill that makes me ill so I'll defer to BGR's Zach Epstein to explain what I think the chances are of such a device. (Spoiler: there's not a chance)

Please, God, no Now I could be wrong. And if I am, I'll say so next week if the rumored HTC Myst … Read more

Sprint today announced an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1.

As is the case with other Android 4.1 updates, this version of Jelly Bean will give users new and enriched features such as Google Now and Project Butter. Other noteworthy additions include actionable notifications as well as smarter widget placement and arrangement.

Sprint is also using the upgrade to include a couple of bug fixes and minor details. The device's self activation client is getting a small tweak, and a Wi-Fi Qualcomm driver fix helps automatically connect to most recent … Read more

HTC quietly confirmed today (or should I say quietly and brilliantly?) that its custom Sense 5 interface will come to select 2012 Android smartphones. A post on the company's Facebook from last week tells of multiple models which should expect the new HTC experience.

The short list of devices tapped for the HTC Sense 5 UI are the HTC One X, One X+, One S and the HTC Butterfly. HTC does not explicitly name which iterations will see the update though it mentions "global variants." Depending on how loosely this is interpreted, we might see the Droid … Read more