Android Jelly Bean Confirmed for HTC One X, One S, One XL
HTC has fallen well behind fellow Android supporter
Samsung, so it can only help the smartphone maker to be the first to announce
that several of its devices will soon receive the upgrade to Googles Android
4.1, known as Jelly Bean.
While many a high-end Android device has yet to receive
4.0, Googles Ice Cream Sandwich, HTC has confirmed that its large-but-light
One handsets have Easter basket fare in their futures.
We know HTC fans are excited to get their hands on
Googles 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, HTC said in a statement, Engadget
reported July 20. Please stay tuned for more updates regarding device
upgrades, timing and other details about HTC and Jelly Bean.
Engadget added that carrier versions of the One X and One S at AT&T, T-Mobile and Rogers will also receive the update.
AT&Ts
One X was a big summer release for HTC, which has watched its market share
fall quarter after quarter. But in addition to being delayed
in customs, while Apple and HTC did battle over patents in court, the phonelightweight
and slim, with a 4.7-inch high-definition displayhas, like many other devices,
been overshadowed by Samsungs Galaxy S III, which launched with five U.S.
carriers after debuting in 28 other countries.
Until the HTC devices receive their upgrade, Googles own
Nexus 7 tablet (made by Asus) is the only device currently running Jelly Bean.
Its Galaxy Nexus 4G (made by Samsung), which ships with Ice Cream Sandwich,
will surely be next in line.
While just a decimal over from Ice Cream Sandwich,
Jelly Bean is a key update, benefitting from Googles Project Butter. As
Googles David Burke explained during the keynote at Googles I/O developers
conference, the goal was a buttery smooth user experience.
Google introduced triple buffering in the graphics pipeline, said Burke, and
figured out how to anticipate where the users finger would go next. The result
is said to produce a magic
moment, without choppiness or lag. A genuine difference-maker.
Other
perks to the OS include improved notifications; widgets that can be
automatically resized, making it possible to squeeze more on the home screen,
or enlarge more important ones; Google Now, a service that improves the search
experience with cards that offer richer information on a search topic; offline
voice dictation; an improved Android Beam, making it simpler to share content
between devices; and improved camera app that makes it easier to review and
delete shots.
Samsung, beyond
the Galaxy Nexus, isnt likely to be left out of the Jelly Bean fun for very
long, and at the end of June it issued a statement saying as much. It told
PocketNow:
Samsung leads the Android
community with best-in-class devices like the Galaxy S III, and is creating new
device categories with products like the Galaxy Note. Samsung has delivered the
most Nexus-branded lead OS devices and we are pleased that Google will be
bringing Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S customers the first experiences of
Jelly Bean on a handheld device.
Stay tuned.
