In the Android ecosystem, Google developer devices are always first in line whenever Google release a new iteration of its Android operating system. However this is not the case with carrier branded versions of these devices as what we have seen in the case of the Sprint Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Sprint Nexus S 4G. These two devices are both Google developer devices and run on a fully stock version of Android but the carrier branding somehow complicates and delays the update process as Sprint has to put the update through rigorous testing first before it gives the green light for it get rolled out.
This is the reason why the Sprint version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus only got the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update a couple of days back while those rocking an unlocked variant of the handset have already gotten the Android 4.1 refresh as early as last month. However, that is all in the past now as Sprint has already commenced the rollout of the Jelly Bean refresh to its version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
Which brings me to my second point that Sprint is hot on the update trail as of the moment as the carrier has already announced that is already pushing out the Android 4.1 refresh to its version of the Sprint Nexus S 4G. This simply means that those rocking a Sprint Nexus S 4G can now expect that nifty, little notification to come up on their devices any day now. After all, Sprint has already confirmed that the update will be going out via OTA and will be pushed to the handsets over a 10 – 21 day period. Device selection will be random so just keep an eye out for that notification, will you?
The Jelly Bean update for the Sprint Nexus S 4G will bring all the features associated with the latest Android version along with some other treats. These include an expanded view of emails in the notification curtain. The update also gives a user the option to snooze and dismiss meetings from the notification bar. Google Now will also tag along in the update which has a software version of JRO03R which is the same version that came to the Sprint Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
As for the Sprint Nexus S 4G, this is already an aging device having been around since May of last year. The handset packs a Hummingbird chipset under the hood while its computing power is generated by a 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor and 512MB of RAM. The storage space of the device comes up to 16GB while its display is a 4.0-inch SuperAMOLED panel with a 480 x 800 resolution. Its camera department on the other hand features a rear 5MP shooter and a front VGA snapper.
September 17, 2012 at 4:55 pm
I just got the Jelly Bean upgrade today on my Nexus S 4G. It’s great except that it killed the FoxFi wi-fi hotspot functionality. I can still tether via FoxFi’s bluetooth DUN and PDANet Tablet 2.20 (this setup creates a VPN). The major drawbacks to this are a faster battery drain on the phone and the Google apps (Play Store) don’t think that they are connected to the Internet.