The much-awaited Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system has made its appearance along with the refreshed version of the Nexus 7. The latest firmware has also started rolling out to Nexus 4, the original Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 devices.
Rumors of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean have been doing the rounds for a long time and the latest operating system was originally expected to launch at the Google I/O in May. When that time came, however, the new Android was nowhere to be found.
The new Nexus 7 is now the first device to come pre-loaded with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean straight out of the box. Google also announced that the Nexus 4, the original Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 will start receiving the new software version over-the-air (OTA) from Wednesday, July 24 onwards.
The Google edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are next in line and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean will arrive on these handsets in the near term.
Users of other Android-powered devices are likely eager to receive the latest operating system as soon as possible. In the U.S., Android smartphone owners will have to wait until their individual carriers roll out the software update for their handsets.
A recent report indicated that the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note 2 will skip Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update and go straight to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean instead. As the latest OS version is now out of the bag that theory seems more plausible, which means that owners of those Galaxy devices could get a taste of the new Jelly Bean soon.
The software update is expected to bring along a number of new features, which include restricted profiles, Bluetooth Smart support, improved graphics with the latest version of OpenGL, and more.
"Restricted profiles limit access to apps and content, at home with your family and at work. Bluetooth Smart support makes Android ready for a whole new class of mobile apps that connect to fitness sensors. Games look great thanks to the 3D realistic, high performance graphics powered by OpenGL ES 3.0," Google explains on its Android-dedicated website.
For more information and a complete list of features the new Android 4.3 Jelly Bean has to offer, visit Android.com.
