Polish Samsung Galaxy S IIIs first to scoff Jelly Bean update Samsung has started rolling out Android Jelly Bean to a lucky few Europeans who have a capable gadget and don't have a pesky network operator standing in the way. Fandroids with a Sammy Galaxy S III in Poland are the first to get version 4.1, the latest build, of Google's mobile operating system, and other European countries …
On that note, I wonder if that will finally put an end to the "Android takes longer to roll out updates than IOS" or "Old Android phones don't get the latest OS" FUD. Are all the pre-Iphone 5 owners now so happy to have been updated to the latest version?
It seems to be better to evaluate whether each older device is ready for the latest OS, and only release when fully tested, rather than rushing to release it for them all on the same day, just so you can make some media headlines and use it as a marketing statistic. This is especially true with thousands of Android devices, and also the point that manufacturers like Samsung and HTC run their own OS built on top of Android, rather than vanilla Android, so it would be foolish to try to implement and then test that on the same day of the basic Android release (for most Android phones, the initial Android release date is about as relevant as the Windows RTM date - you still have to factor in the time for manufacturers to test on their devices).
@Adam McC: You know, I was so sure the update was to Jelly Beans, but just checked the About info and you're quite right; still on 4.0.4. C'est la vie. :(
@Owen: If you haven't got it already, download Kies from here to do the update. When you plug your phone in it should automatically detect and offer to install ICS as soon as it's available (which it wasn't 5 minutes ago when I tried). Also, it looks like your phone needs to have any lock screen unlocked as you plug it in for Kies to detect it properly.
@The 3 people that downvoted me: Thhhhhhhhppppt! :p
I've got a Samsung Galaxy 8.9 which is still officially on 3.2. I've tried CM builds of ICS and JB and recently went back partly because I like some of Samsung's apps better than the alternatives, partly because the differences either from 3.2 or between them aren't that great, and partly for stability (both OSMAND and Google Maps caused soft rebots). Staying rooted, of course.
While it would be nice to Samsung updated more quickly my biggest gripe is with Kies on Mac which routinely fails to recognise either the Galaxy or my Wave and MTP works for neither.
>Thanks to Verizon's knuckle-dragging update certification process my Galaxy Nexus only got the official OTA update to 4.1 yesterday!
No need to wait for the OTA if your carrier is slow, you can always get the latest Nexus updates at https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images
Having used a Nexus S since it was released, I've had every update within 3-6 weeks of its release and each one has been a substantial improvement in usability and features... it's like getting a new phone every six months without all the hassles. My niece has a shiny new iPhone ... and pays $140/month for her service - I pay $50.
I will never buy a network operator phone again.
>I will never buy a network operator phone again.
Obviously not a person living in the Western US where the GSM operators networks (TMobile and AT&T ftl) are shit. Unfortunately if you actually want to receive calls inside buildings then CDMA it is (yes I know LTE is GSM but 3 years away minimum before phones run only on LTE). Luckily their are ways to find resellers of Verizon's service so you pay a fraction of the what they rape you for and still enjoy their network. Also luckily the custom rom community exists so you can tell Verzion and their badly out of date bloatware roms to fuck off.
The Nexus comment earlier was a phone I bought my other. She works in one of the rare spots even in a town of millions I live in that gets decent GSM service.
And to clarify with CDMA phones they are largely locked to the operator network (as %90 of people on here know I am sure). Their are some exceptions but it always requires voiding warranties and flashing antennae etc. That said unlike Western Europe the US actually has lots of open space so CDMA tends to work much better for our spread out geography.
Because this is El Reg and I don't think it should/could be any other way.
Fandroids.
Fanbois.
Commentards.
Freetards.
Fucktards.
etc....
All and any of these wonderfull nouns/adjectives can and do get employed on a daily basis.
It's la raison d'etre, the Zeitgesit of the Register
I've had JB on my S3 for a long, long time (couple of months, from memory), courtesy of CyanogenMod 10. There's also been an officially Samsung build floating around for some weeks, I installed it but then remembered how much cruft Touchwiz adds to the phone, and went back to CM10.
GJC
It is Kies.... Unless you're sensible and have the nerve to compromise warranty (easy to un-compromise)
Odin is the initial tool of choice.
Follow the instructions from the start of this "[Guide+ROMS]Odin Flash+Root Guide & Stock Firmwares" thread carefully : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1671969
Then you can pick up one of the stock firmwares from the same thread (either official or `leak` / beta) .
Alternatively, you can enter the quirky and somewhat interesting world of custom ROMS (for heavens sake read a bit first from the forums).
And if you really can't wait for the formal JellyBean update, play with CM10 / ASOP or one of the Jellybean leaks that are starting to show up (this thread shows promise, for instance http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1855963 ).
Divinity 'cause I reference XDA.
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