Samsung's shaggy old St Bernard phone, the Galaxy Note, is being taught some new tricks with an update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The upgrade is reportedly rolling out now either as an over-the-air update or using Samsung's Kies desktop software.
The update brings a brandy-barrelful of new software features, including the split-screen app view first seen on the Note 2, SamMobile reports. The frame rate of page transitions has been increased too, making swiping around much smoother.
Jelly Bean also brings Google Now, the information service that learns from your travel habits and search terms to bring you live information without needing to search for it. The app has been updated recently and now offers more info about flight bookings, local photography hotspots and various other bits and bobs.
Other tweaks to the Note include Pop-up Play, which lets you view videos as a floating tile above the interface, so you can check your emails without missing a moment of your film. Various changes to the notifications panel and widgets will be arriving too, hopefully giving the fairly elderly mutt a new lease of life.
Samsung has a pretty rubbish record when it comes to updating its devices -- the Galaxy S2 was left on old software for far too long, causing something of an uproar among users -- so it's heartwarming to see newer software being rolled out on its doddery old hardware. Nevertheless, 4.1 isn't even the newest version of Android, and I wouldn't expect the Note to see any more upgrades.
The update should arrive any day now, but they tend to come out in batches with no discernible pattern. If you haven't had a notification already, pop into Settings > About this phone and hit the 'Check for updates' button. Failing that, plug the phone into your computer and try to get the update using Kies.
Have you already got the update? Has it given the Note enough new treats to keep you satisfied, or will you still be hungrily eyeing up Samsung's new releases at MWC? Lollop around in the comments below, or slobber all over our Facebook page.
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Comments 22
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anonymous 19 February, 2013 10:35
Dont hold any hopes of getting this update here in blighty any time soon!! As sammy are notorious for drip feeding the release's.. But of course the germans got it first yesterday! Then like tumble weed. Nothing to anyone else in last 24hrs.. They are skanks at doing updates! Give it to the crouts then make everyone else wait wks for it. ***tards!
Damien2501 19 February, 2013 10:57
@ anonymous19 February, 2013 10:35
You don't know what you are talking about. Jelly Bean is a minor update to ICS, most people with ICS phones that received JB said they hardly noticed any difference, and Google Now is pretty useless. And Many of the features of Premium Suite are already available apps on Google Play but are not from Samsung. I can wait for Jelly Bean on my households Galaxy Note.
anonymous 19 February, 2013 12:03
Still waiting for the update (SIM free UK Note)
anonymous 19 February, 2013 12:33
They want to roll out an update for the Note II while there at it! £450 for a generic handset with no Bloatware and they have not pushed an out an update. My mates older S3 is running 4.1.2
Crack on with it Samsung.
anonymous 19 February, 2013 12:35
@Damien2501... What are you on?? Did you not comprehend what i actualy said? the fact that samsung drip feed the updates! I said jack sh** about what jb comes with and what is available!! i want jb for performance improvements plus the long overdue exynos hard brick exploit bug! . So couldnt care less for google now ok? So just read carefully before dissing people next time yeah...
Damien2501 19 February, 2013 15:49
I apologise anonymous, but I know many people with Jelly Bean phones and they are saying that it is over rated, even posts on this page about Android 4.1 being over hyped. If your that concerned about the Exynos security bug, their are software solutions out there, search for it. And the Galaxy Note is a niche phone, surely you must have read about the Android update shamble before buying it?
anonymous 19 February, 2013 23:01
My wife's Note updated Jelly Bean last night. I was amazed for the buttery smoothness and some cool animations (like opening folders & Gallery) Today morning, she was really happy. She said it became very smooth and there are some feature improvements on ICS, like popup play (which, I find, is amazing and very useful).
@anonymous 19 February, 2013 12:35, You would love it as I noticed performance improvement.
(I bought her Note from Hong Kong that's why her Note got early update, I think)
anonymous 20 February, 2013 12:25
No airview feature. Dissappointed. India hasn't got it. OTA and Kies, no luck here. And how much does this firmware weigh?
anonymous 20 February, 2013 13:40
I'm on 4.2.2. Works fine, no Samsung apps but they are not that useful anyway. Just install cyanogen mod, check out instructions on rootgalaxynote.com FIRST do you can do it safely to avoid a flashing bug.
anonymous 21 February, 2013 11:10
You can get it by following this guys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g27BZ6qj-t0
anonymous 18 March, 2013 16:29
My Galaxy s2 auto updated to Jelly bean last Sunday. Apart from me having to waste the best part of an hour resetting the home screen, security settings, user preferences and the like back to what they were before the update and then working out where previously accessible stuff had disappeared to and then flicking through the new interface looking for something new AND worthwhile to have (I couldn't find anything).... it all went very well.
Soon as my contract is up I'm going back to a PAYG mobile. Life's too short and I've got better things to do than sit around trying to work out what's going on inside a smartphone.
anonymous 24 March, 2013 11:37
I updates my Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 via OTA to official Jellybean in Mumbai, India after getting a Software Firmware Update notification. No data was lost.
anonymous 25 March, 2013 03:49
A friend who has a non contract phone got his today in the UK. Still waiting for mine from Orange but expect to wait for a few days as last time.
anonymous 25 March, 2013 15:43
After I updated my Note to Jellybean, it was working well, I had to reset somethings, but then it told me that "process.com.google." so i tried to restart my phone but just when it was about to go to the home screen, it restarted, again, again, and again. i don't know what to do now, any help ??????
anonymous 27 March, 2013 12:53
I'm in the UK with unlocked, unbranded handset but still no update:-(, I guess there running through either serial numbers or something but hopefully soon....
anonymous 12 April, 2013 12:36
UK, on Orange, still no update OTA or in KIES :-(
anonymous 2 May, 2013 17:03
Mine is trying to update. on Vodaphone, but update fails. Plenty of memory free and Kies has no firmware update available. Any ideas?
anonymous 4 May, 2013 08:18
Update just downloading on my O2 Note...hurrah!
anonymous 5 May, 2013 19:57
JB downloaded OTA a couple of days ago to unlocked phone. Have only noticed today that I have no internet except via WiFi. No 3G, 2G, no anything. Anyone else with problems?
anonymous 5 May, 2013 22:06
Just updated to JB on a Note and all good. Nothing jaw dropping but keeps me feeling like I am keeping up with the Jones'es.
anonymous 18 May, 2013 01:22
Their = there, they're
Actualy = Actually
Crouts = Krauts
Somethings = Some things
anonymous 18 May, 2013 01:26
Far too (not to or two) many illiterate morons post on forums.
Surely it would be better if people had the basic grasp of the English language before posting and making fools of themselves???