Samsung Galaxy S in line for Android 2.3 Gingerbread update this month
The Galaxy S II may be on the way with its Android Gingerbread charms, but Samsung isn't leaving existing Galaxy S users out of the fun -- an update will roll out later this month.
When Samsung took the wrappers off its Galaxy S II smart phone at Mobile World Congress, the Android 2.3 Gingerbread software was one of its key features. Worried that your older Galaxy S was being left out of the Gingerbread party? Fear not: the update is on its way to the latter handset this month.
Well, it is in Romania. Samsung Mobile's official Facebook page there has posted a message with some news about updates to the Galaxy S family of smart phones.
As translated by My Daily Gadget, it explains, "The 2.2.1 upgrade for the Galaxy S will be available until 20 March and the Gingerbread update will roll out until the end of March."
We're assuming that's supposed to be 'by' the end of March, rather than 'until', mind. The posting also confirms that the cheaper Samsung Galaxy 3 and Galaxy 5 smart phones will get the Android 2.2 Froyo update by the end of March too.
In truth, it's not a surprise that Gingerbread is coming to the Galaxy S. A beta version of the update has already leaked online, including the latest 4.0 version of Samsung's Android TouchWiz software, which sits on top of the OS.
Where Romania leads, will the UK follow? If Samsung is ready to roll out Gingerbread to the Galaxy S in one country, it stands to reason that it will do so in others too. What's not known is whether there will be any hold-ups in the UK as operators test the new firmware update. We'll keep you posted on that.
The Galaxy S remains the best-selling Android phone in the world, with 10 million sold before Christmas last year, in various configurations -- operators in the US in particular decided to rebrand the device as the Captivate, Vibrant, Epic and Fascinate in an effort to outdo one another with silly names.
Whatever it's called, the Galaxy S remains a popular handset, with a big Super AMOLED screen, a slimline design, and fast HSUPA connectivity. Its 1GHz processor still isn't looking that dated, nor is its 5-megapixel camera. Assuming Gingerbread runs fine on the device, it'll hold its own despite the incoming competition from the Galaxy S II.