Good news for all Android owners out there who decided to wait and not install any custom ROMs – Google has now begun releasing the official Andoid Jelly Bean update to smartphone users everywhere.
As expected, owners of the HSPA+ version of the current Nexus flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, will be getting the highly anticipated OS update first. The Nexus Google + account had this announcement last July 11th:
“If you’ve got a Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ device, you will receive a prompt alerting you to the update over the next several days. Up next for Jelly Bean: all Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, Motorola Xoom and of course, Nexus 7, which will ship with Jelly Bean later this month.”
Google boasts that the Android Jelly Bean update will give users a host of upgrades that should enhance their overall experience with their Android devices. They say that Android Jelly Bean will make everything “feel fast, fluid and smooth” and and that “notifications are expandable and actionable, widgets are magical and the keyboard is smarter and more accurate.”
Google will now also go directly agains’s the iPhone’s Siri by enhancing their OS’ voice search capabilities with this update:
“Jelly Bean also features a redesigned search experience, with a new user interface and faster Voice Search. You can type your query or simply ask Google a question. Google can speak back to you, delivering a precise answer if it knows one, in addition to a list of search results. ”
Lastly, the update will now make Google Now “part of the Google App.” The announcement says that this will allow Android Jelly Bean users to “get the information at just the right time”:
“Google Now tells you today’s weather before you start your day, how much traffic to expect before you leave for work, or your favorite team’s score as they’re playing. There’s no digging required: cards appear at the moment you need them most.”
Are you using the Galaxy Nexus? Have you received your Android Jelly Bean OTA update? Let us know what you think of the changes in the comments below!