Jelly Bean may be old news to newer Android handset owners, but it will be a sight for sore eyes on a pair of handsets finally receiving the update on AT&T and Sprint this week.
In separate announcements Thursday, AT&T and Sprint each announced over-the-air Jelly Bean updates for older Samsung-made Android smartphones.
The long-awaited Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update actually started pushing to Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket (SGH-i727) owners on AT&T's network yesterday, which can also be downloaded from Windows or Mac computers.
Sprint customers will have to wait for Jelly Bean to arrive wirelessly on their Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE, a device the carrier first shipped in September with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich installed.
Carrier extras included
As a refresher, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean adds enhanced voice activation with Google Now, actionable notifications, Android Beam and automatically adjustable widgets.
Each carrier brings its own customizations to the update: new preloaded apps such as AT&T Locker in the case of the former, while Sprint added preloaded Swype for its Galaxy Victory.
AT&T customers can optionally download Jelly Bean on their computer using the Samsung Kies application, which sideloads the update to a Skyrocket handset tethered via USB cable.
The Skyrocket update also introduces premium features to the AT&T handset including the Smart Stay, Direct Call and Pop Up Play features first introduced with the Galaxy S3.
