Those hoping that Google’s next release of Android, Jelly Bean, would be a major release with plenty of new features may be out of luck if a new discovery proves to be accurate.
One XDA-Developer forum goer has noticed that the section dedicated to the latest Nexus phone, Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus, makes mention of the handset’s imminent software upgrade to, you guessed it, Jelly Bean. The bad news for the people hoping for widespread changes though is that the new mobile OS will be Android 4.1, rather than 5.0, reducing the chances of a major overhaul this time around.
The good news though is that the Galaxy Nexus does appear to be the first handset to receive the update to Android 4.1, with the Google Play entry in question suggesting that the update will arrive ‘soon.’ With Google I/O just days away, rumors have been abound that Jelly Bean will be announced at the event. Google’s policy has always been to get new updates out to Nexus devices first, while carriers and OEMs add their software and skins to the update prior to pushing it out to their own devices. It has always been the main reason to plump for a Nexus device when choosing a new Android smartphone, and it seems Google is continuing its release trend.
Just to add to the already high expectations, it seems Google has also updated the Galaxy Nexus’ thumbnail image on Google Play, with the device apparently displaying a new search bar that is reminiscent of the one found in yesterday’s Google IO app release. While none of these things are definitive proof of anything, the rumor is indeed more than the sum of its parts.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for more news and rumors in the build-up to Google I/O, as well as bringing all the news from the event itself to a web browser near you. We can’t wait to see what Google has up its sleeve this year, but unfortunately the news that Jelly Bean will be the name for Android 4.1 rather than 5.0 does have us feeling a little more cold than we did yesterday.
Still, you never know do you!
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