Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is out, but the number of devices running Google’s latest OS is relatively small. Only a handful of the company’s own products—the Nexus 7 tablet and Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S smartphones—have received official updates. PC World says the old Motorola Xoom tablet will also get a Jelly Bean update, and HTC has confirmed that its One X, One XL, and One S smartphones will get a taste of the new OS.
Just a few minutes ago, Asus made an official statement clarifying its plans for Jelly Bean updates. The Transformer Prime, Transformer Pad Infinity, and Transformer Pad 300 will all receive Jelly bean updates “in the coming months.” The original Transformer isn’t on that list, but Asus says it’s “still investigating” bringing the OS to other devices. Fingers crossed.
Asus has done a good job of keeping its tablets up-to-date with newer versions of Android, so it’s no surprise to see the company committing to Jelly Bean. Samsung has been much slower to adopt Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and the firm hasn’t confirmed its plans for the newest release. SamMobile’s “insiders” claim the Galaxy S III will get a Jelly Bean upgrade in August or September, and that the S II and other devices are being considered, as well. Given Samsung’s history, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
I would take a closer look at devices due to receive Jelly Bean updates, though. We’ve been playing with the Nexus 7 for a few days now, and the freshly optimized interface has an iPad-like smoothness that’s a definite improvement over Ice Cream Sandwich. Android 4.1’s Google Now feature looks intriguing, too, although it may have more utility for smartphones than for tablets.