U.S. Cellular updating Samsung Galaxy S III to Android Jelly Bean this week

December 18, 2012 | By Jason Ankeny

U.S. Cellular will begin upgrading Samsung Electronics' flagship Galaxy S III smartphone to Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android 4.1, a.k.a. Jelly Bean, on Dec. 21.

U.S. Cellular will roll out the Android Jelly Bean update over the air. Subscribers may also visit this site to manually upgrade their device via USB connection. U.S. Cellular is the fifth and final American operator to overhaul the Galaxy S III to Jelly Bean, following Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S), T-Mobile USA, AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) and most recently Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ).

Android 4.1's core features include the Project Butter UI engine, a revamped homescreen and Google Now, which includes personalized information such as local weather and traffic updates. Samsung's Jelly Bean update integrates customized enhancements including an overhauled version of the device maker's TouchWiz UI, new live camera and camcorder filters, the Pop Up Play picture-in-picture video window and Easy Mode, which offers widget-based access to users' favorite apps as well as a blocking mode that silences incoming calls, alerts and notifications.

The updated Galaxy S III also supports the AllShare Cast Wireless Hub accessory, which allows users to wirelessly mirror their device screen to any HDTV or HDMI display, as well as Bluetooth-enabled NFC One Touch Pairing.

Google's Android Developers dashboard reveals that Android Jelly Bean 4.1 now powers 5.9 percent of all devices worldwide, up from 2.7 percent in November. Android 2.3, nicknamed Gingerbread, remains the dominant OS version, powering 50.8 percent of devices. Android 4.0, known as Ice Cream Sandwich, follows at 27.5 percent.

For more:
- read this CNet article