Android in Feb 2013: Jelly Bean grows, Gingerbread dominates

The platform distribution numbers for Android in February are out and they bring little surprises. The trends from the previous few months continue, with Jelly Bean gaining ground on ICS and the now long outdated Gingerbread.

The Gingerbread userbase has dropped from 45.6% to 44.2%, but this is still enough to make it the most popular Android version globally. And given that Gingerbread is more than two years old now, this hardly bodes too well for Android OEMs and their updates.

The ICS has seen a drop of 0.4 percent points, but it still holds nearly twice bigger market share than the two Jelly Bean releases combined.

The good news is that the Jelly Bean user base is up by 3 percent points over the previous month and the latest version of Android is starting to quickly gain traction now. Still, it remains to be seen if Jelly Bean will become the most widely-spread Android release before its Key Lime Pie successor comes in the summer.

Source: gsmarena.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Google Maps, Drive and Earth updated with bugfixes

Google has just pushed out some bugfix updates in Google Play for both Maps and Earth, along with a couple of feature improvements for Drive. Those improvements for Drive are the ability to stream video files from the app on devices running Android 3.0 and above, as well as the ability to now use pinch-to-zoom in the presentation viewer. Maps and Earth aren't getting anything notable, but we're never going to turn down a good set of bugfixes that will improve the overall experience of using these apps.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Sony may release Jelly Bean 4.2 for the Xperia Z next month

Sony's flagship device, the Xperia Z, will come out with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board, but as rumored before, the company might upgrade their brand new flagship device to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean just weeks after its initial launch.

A screenshot sent by an anonymous tipster to Xperia blog shows the Sony Xperia Z C6603 being powered by the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, with a firmware version of the latest Android build as 11.1.A.1.450. Of course, this would be the beta version, but should it prove to be the real deal, we can expect the firmware version to be in the same form after its release.

The Android 4.2 update for Xperia Z will feature an updated 3.6 kernel, compared to the 3.4 kernel found on stock Android 4.1.2 firmware. The Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update is further rumored to be officially released in Europe by the end of March, but take that with a pinch of salt, since the information is not from an official source.

Source: gsmarena.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

ROM Manager adds delta updates, TWRP recovery support

ROM Manager, a staple app used by practically anyone who roots and switches ROMs often, has just added support for both delta (incremental) updates and TWRP recovery. Delta updates (downloads, really) will let users who are downloading and flashing new ROMs -- like those of you on nightlies -- just download and apply the new portions of the ROM, rather than the entire thing. If you have a previous zip file of your ROM on the device, ROM Manager will send you an incremental zip (of about 20MB) to apply and get the changes. This will save a lot of time, battery and data when flashing updates to the same ROM over and over again.

The latest ROM Manager also supports TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project), so if users prefer that over ClockworkMod Recovery, they can flash it directly through the app rather than separately.

Source: androidcentral.com

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What's new in Android 4.2.2

Android 4.2.2 isn't quite official yet, but it's slow roll out has been bolstered by manual download links and folks are finding a few new things in the latest firmware. Most of it is behind the scenes and will be covered by words like "stability enhancements" and bug fixes, and those are what's really important. A specific that folks are reporting is a fix to the Bluetooth stack to fix audio stuttering, and that's something folks have been waiting for. Equally important is that plenty of people are saying their Nexus devices are no longer randomly rebooting, so if you have an issue there hopefully Android 4.2.2 fixes it.

There are some other user-facing changes that probably won't apply to anyone without a Nexus device. Once a manufacturer gets their hands into the code, they tend to change these types of "features" to something that fits in with their version of Android a it better. Often times their version works better than stock Android, so we're not going to complain that they get changed. Here's what folks using stock are seeing:

When connecting via adb to a computer for the first time, you're prompted to allow the connection. This small security enhancement will help keep your bootloader locked device safe if you lose it.

App download notification have been changed. Now you'll see a progress bar that tells you the time remaining in addition to a percentage downloaded.

Quick settings have been enhanced. Users can now long press on the Wifi and Bluetooth icons to toggle the setting.

New sounds for wireless charging initiation and low battery alert. Users will now hear a notification sound when the device is placed on a wireless charger. In addition the low battery sound has been changed.

Removed option to show all calls in the phone app's call list.

New Gallery app animation allows faster loading.

Really, nothing there anyone would miss if Samsung, HTC or any other manufacturer decided not to implement it. In short, 4.2.2 sounds like the bug fix update everyone has been waiting for. These kinds of updates are the ones we like seeing!

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Chrome Beta for Android updated, actually pretty speedy now

Google has once again updated the Chrome beta channel for Android, bringing the pre-release browser up to version 25.0.1364.74. The new update fixed compatibility issues with the Samsung Galaxy S2, while addressing the long-standing beta bug that caused the tap disambiguation popup to appear more often than it should. That's in addition to fixes for some other bugs.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Sony confirms Xperia V, T, TX Jelly Bean update, details changes

Ttoday Sony has officially confirmed the arrival of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the Xperia V, Xperia T and Xperia TX. A post over on the official Sony Mobile blog details exactly what's new in this firmware update -- and there's quite a bit, besides the usual Jelly Bean stuff like Google Now and "project butter."

The update includes new, redesigned Sony media apps such as Walkman for music, Album for pictures and Movies for, well, movies. There're also new personalization options in the home screen launcher, including support for up to seven screens, and auto-resizing of widgets, like the stock Jelly Bean launcher. Changes to the app drawer make creating folders easier, and the drawer itself now features a search box.

Sony also promises camera improvements, including a new "auto" scene setting, and a button for switching between the front and rear camera.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Motorola RAZR i receiving Jelly Bean OTA in the UK

The RAZR i, Motorola's tweak of the RAZR M with an Intel chip inside, is receiving its Jelly Bean update in the U.K. starting today. Although its cousin the RAZR M started to receive its Jelly Bean update back in November, there are certainly some extra tweaks required to getting the update ready for devices with Intel processors still. The RAZR i Jelly Bean rollout started in France just a few short days ago, so the U.K. isn't far behind here.

The update will bring all of the notable improvements of Jelly Bean, including Project Butter, Google Now and improved notifications. Motorola says the update will begin rolling today and will head out in phases (of course). If you've got your hands on a RAZR i, keep on the lookout for a system update notification.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Sony Xperia T gets the Android Jelly Bean update

Sony has started rolling out the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update for the Xperia T smartphone. The update is being made available just a day after it appeared on the PTCRB website and was certified and a week after an alpha version was released.

The update version number is 9.1.A.0.489 and brings the usual Jelly Bean features, including Google Now, Project Butter, improved notifications, etc., along with Sony's own changes. The update is currently rolling out in Netherlands but should be out elsewhere shortly. Check to see if the update is available for your Xperia T in your region.

Source: gsmarena.com

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Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note to get 4.1.2 in March

Samsung Ukraine has announced that it will start rolling out the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update to some of its devices from March. The first ones to get this update is the Galaxy S II as well as the Galaxy Note. The Galaxy S II, as you may know, has already started getting the update elsewhere in the world.

Along with these two device, Samsung will also be updating the Galaxy Ace 2 to Jelly Bean, but that will happen in April. And last but not the least, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 will also be joining the Jelly Bean party around the same time.

Source: gsmarena.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Galaxy S II Jelly Bean update starts rolling out in Spain

The rollout has now begun and Spain is one of the first countries to get the update, with other countries to follow shortly.

The 4.1.2 update is currently only available to the international GSM version of the handset (I9100). The update will bring a new interface design, similar to the one on the Galaxy S III or the Note II. Other changes include a smoother UI thanks to Project Butter, Google Now, two homescreen modes, Direct Call, Smart Stay Pop-up Play, new notification toggles, camera improvements and much more.

The update needs to be downloaded using Kies on your computer. If it is not available for your device right now, it should be available shortly.

Source: gsmarena.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

U.S. version of the Galaxy Note 10.1 getting its Android 4.1.2 update

Good news for those of you with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Not only do you have a pretty good tablet with pretty great stylus (excuse us -- "S Pen) interaction, today you're getting an update to Android 4.1.2. Jelly Bean. New features should be in line with what we described in November -- the new "multiwindow" viewing and "air view" controls for the S Pen, "easy clip" for cutting out images, and updated applications to go along with it.

Folks in our forums are all over this one, so hit the link below and get your update on.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Samsung to launch Galaxy S II Jelly Bean update in February

Just over a week ago, Samsung announced the details surrounding the upcoming Galaxy S II Jelly Bean update, but didn't mention an exact date when for the start of its rollout.

Today a company spokesperson has told CNET the update for the former Android flagship is coming in the beginning of February in Singapore, with the rest of the markets to follow.

The update will be downloadable only via the Samsung Kies app and not over-the-air, because of its extra large size.

Launched with Android 2.3 Gingerbread back in 2011, Samsung has been taking good care of its former flagship upgrading it to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and now to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. More than 40 million people have bought the device paving the company's road to the throne as the biggest smartphone manufacturer out there.

We'll continue to follow the news surrounding the update in the coming weeks.

Source: gsmarena.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.