4.1

A newer and beefier version of LG's Optimus G could be coming to town, at least to someone's town.

A leaked slide sent to blog site Engadget teased a host of alleged details about the Optimus G Pro. If the slide is on the money, the new smartphone would sport a 5-inch 1,920x1,080 pixel display and tap into a 1.7GHz Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon processor for its power.

Running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the Pro model would include 2GB of memory, 32GB of storage, and support for LTE. Also along for the ride would be … Read more

A new Galaxy S2 phone is coming to town, though it isn't much different than its predecessor.

Announced today by Samsung, the Galaxy S2 Plus builds upon the S2 by including Android 4.1.2, aka Jelly Bean.

Initially outfitted with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the original S2 received an update to Android 4.0 last June and is finally due up for Android 4.1 sometime soon.

Otherwise, most of the tech specs between the S2 Plus and the original S2 are the same.

Like its precedessor, the S2 Plus will offer a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, … Read more

The powerful camera on your smartphone needs useful photo-editing software to be truly great. If your mobile gadget has replaced your point-and-shoot camera, Snapseed is an essential app. It's a robust photo editor and sharing solution in one sleek, fast package.

The app downloads in seconds and is ready to start working after a quick tutorial. To start you off, you're given a sample image so you can play with all of the app's editing and resizing features. There are about a half-dozen filter modes that mimic apps like Instagram without any of the filters you never … Read more

LAS VEGAS--ViewSonic introduced a new member of its budding Smart Display product family at CES 2013. The VSD240, which will be available in April for $499, has a 24-inch 1,920x1,080-pixel-resolution HD LED screen, ships with Android 4.1, and runs on a 1.7GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor.

The 24-inch Smart Display joins the 22-inch VSD220 in ViewSonic's Smart Display family. These boundary-blurring products have the standard functionality of Android tablets, but with a larger display. The VSD240 includes HDMI and USB ports, SD card storage, and a 1.3-megapixel camera.

The VSD240's features make … Read more

Archos attempts to strengthen its Element series of tablets by announcing the 97 Titanium HD. The 9.7-inch tablet will ship with Android 4.1 and a promising 2,048x1,536-pixel IPS display. This matches the resolution of the current-generation iPad.

The tablet houses a 1.6GHz dual-core A9 processor, a quad-core Mali 400 MP4 GPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. Other features include a microSD expansion slot, Micro-USB port, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Archos 97 Titanium pricing is set at $249 but a release date has yet to be announced. … Read more

Owners of the original Galaxy Note can soon look forward to a host of new features courtesy of Samsung's Android 4.1 Premium Suite.

Touted on the Galaxy Note Web page, the upgrade will deliver Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, to the original Note. But the Premium Suite kicks in several of its own options.

A Multi Window feature lets you view and perform multiple tasks on the same screen. A Popup Note helps you write down information while on a call, while a Popup Video and a Popup Browser allow you to catch a video or surf … Read more

Android 4.1.1, also known as Jelly Bean, will finally make its way to some global versions of the HTC One S.

It's still unclear when the U.S. version of the One S, sold by T-Mobile USA, will get the update. PocketNow was the first to pick up on the new software release.

HTC phones have been slow to get the latest version of Android, partly because the company has chosen to heavily customize its products with the Sense skin, which adds a layer of complexity to future software upgrades. In addition, the updates must be approved … Read more

As expected, Sony has now detailed which of its Xperia smartphones will pick up Jelly Bean and which won't.

In a nutshell, the newer and more powerful models will move forward, while a select few will be left behind on Ice Cream Sandwich.

First out of the gate, the Xperia T, Xperia TX, and Xperia V will receive its update starting in February and March. Once completed, Sony plans to deploy Android 4.1 to the Xperia J, Xperia P, and Xperia Go in late March.

The weeks following should see the Xperia S, SL, Xperia Acro S, and … Read more

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S3 with U.S. Cellular, an update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is just around the corner.

Starting Friday, December 21, GS3 owners can begin the update process wirelessly, or manually by plugging in their phone via USB cable and visiting this U.S. Cellular site.

U.S. Cellular is one of the last carriers to offer the Android 4.1 update; a process that's been kicked into high gear as part of the busy holiday season.

Android 4.1 enhances features like the Google search app, the notifications menu, and some … Read more