So Android Jelly Bean looks awesome, with Google Now and the new and improved Voice Search putting some real distance between it and iOS. The Nexus 7 arrives on Thursday, but when will other manufacturers be updating their handsets to Jelly Bean?
Well we’ve been in touch; read the answers after the break.
The biggest problem with Android is fragmentation. Even nine months after launch, Ice Cream Sandwich is only on 10 per cent of devices. So 90 per cent of Android customers are missing out on features that aren’t even new, but almost a year old.
Google promised to streamline updates for Jelly Bean, by punting out the platform development kit to hardware partners two months before each update. This should let them have their devices up to date for when the update actually launches, as opposed to months after.
All well and good, but what about the here and now? How many manufacturers are willing to say when they’ll update to Jelly Bean? Here’s the official word, straight from the horses’ mouths.
HTC
Update: HTC is bringing Jelly Bean to its One X and One S handsets, though there’s no date set as yet.
It sent out a statement that reads: ”We know HTC fans are excited to get their hands on Google’s latest version of Android. At this point in time, we can confirm that we have plans to upgrade our HTC One X, HTC One XL and HTC One S to Jelly Bean. Please stay tuned for more updates regarding device upgrades, timing and other details about HTC and Jelly Bean.”
The One XL is the global name for the One X.
ZTE
ZTE was keeping similarly mum: “As Google has not published the Jelly Bean source code release date yet, there is no estimate for the ZTE Jelly Bean upgrade date as of now.”
Asus
Update: Asus has sent out a note saying its Transformer tablets will get the update to Jelly Bean, though again, there’s no date given.
“We are pleased to announce that many of our tablet products are scheduled to receive an update to Android 4.1, Jelly Bean,” reads the note. “The Asus Transformer Pad, Asus Transformer Pad Prime and Asus Transformer Pad Infinity are all scheduled to receive Android 4.1 updates in the coming months. We will provide further guidance on our expected timeframes for these updates near their release.”
Samsung
Surely Samsung is at the forefront of Android? Its Galaxy S3 is the last really big phone to get the mobile world excited. And its Galaxy Nexus was the device that launched Ice Cream Sandwich. Android partners don’t come much higher valued than Samsung.
Well a spokesperson was keen to point out that Jelly Bean came to HSPA+ versions of the Galaxy Nexus last week. And going forward? ”We will announce updates to the rest of our Galaxy portfolio of devices in due course,” they told us.
Acer
A spokesperson told us there’s: “No news that we have,” but assured us they’ll let us know when they have anything to announce.
Toshiba
Again, a spokesperson told us the company hasn’t announced anything as yet, and as such it’s the standard: “No comment.”
LG
An LG spokesperson told us there’s “nothing confirmed at the moment,” but wanted to stress LG will “continue to support the latest Android versions on flagship devices.” So again, it sounds promising. The LG Optimus 4X HD is the current flagship, so here’s hoping it sees the jump to Jelly Bean soon.
Sony
Bad news, Sony fans: a spokesperson told us there’s nothing new to announce regarding Android Jelly Bean at this time. But here’s the official statement confirming its commitment to Android, and rolling out ICS.
“Following the Google I/O and the recent announcement of the Android Jelly Bean platform, we are evaluating potential upgrades for our current smartphone portfolio and will get back with more information in due time.
In the meantime, we are continuing our comprehensive upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich for Xperia S, as well as our 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio.”
We’re still waiting to hear back from Motorola and Huawei, and will update this as soon as they’re in touch – although we do know that the Motorola Xoom should be getting the update soon.
