Android Jelly Bean Release Date For Samsung Galaxy S3 May Come This Month With Galaxy Note 2 Unveil, Rumors Say [FEATURES]

Rumors about a release date for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on Samsung's Galaxy S3 have been circulating since the new Google operating system was announced in June. The most recent speculation suggests that the Android upgrade will roll out to the Galaxy S3 along with the alleged unveil of Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 on August 29.

The news comes from Android Authority, who reports that the update could be available to European and Asian owners of the Galaxy S3 first. The Jelly Bean software is expected to come over-the-air or through KIES. However, Samsung has yet to officially confirm any upcoming release dates for the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade on any of its devices.

"Before you get too excited or angry-depending on where to reside-we'll advise you to take everything with a grain of salt for now, as we have no official statement from Samsung on the matter," writes Chris Smith of the Android-based publication.

The Galaxy Note 2 and the release date for Android's new operating system are expected to come just a day ahead of IFA 2012. Samsung is expected to announce details on the Jelly Bean roll out for the Galaxy S3 as it unveils the next-generation "phablet" device during its Samsung Unlocked event in Berlin.

As for the Galaxy Note 2, there have been back-and-forth speculations about which operating system the device will launch with. It has been reported that Samsung is still undecided on the software choice, but it is possible that it will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out- of- the- box.

"The Note 2's test software is currently based on Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich), which we'd have to say doesn't leave long for Samsung to change course," an "insider source" said to Sam Mobile last week.

This isn't the first time the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note devices have been associated to one another through rumors. Before the Galaxy S3 release date arrived, a rendered leak of what is now believed to be the Galaxy Note 2 surfaced on the Internet. At the time that it was noticed, the image was believed to be the Galaxy S3 since the form factor and design are allegedly similar, as GottaBeMobile reported.

Further fueling this sentiment, a new image that leaked which is said to be the Galaxy Note 2 surfaced on Tuesday. The device featured, referred to as a "mysterious white Samsung phone" by Gadget Help Line, bears a striking resemblance to the Galaxy S3. The picture came from GSM Arena, and the front of the phone displayed in the image looks nearly identical to the Galaxy S3.

The anonymous tipster also sent some tech specs along with the reportedly leaked image, which say that the Galaxy Note 2 will feature a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280x800. The Note successor is also believed to come equipped with a 1.5Ghz quad-core Exynos processor and an 8-Megapixel camera, the source said. The tipster included Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as the operating system in the list of tech specs, which lines up with the rumors from Sam Mobile indicated above.

Of course, fans and users will have to wait until August 29 to see if Samsung truly announces its Galaxy Note 2 and the Jelly Bean release date for its flagship Galaxy S3. Android 4.1 was initially rolled out to Samsung's line of Galaxy Nexus devices, and is expected to hit other "high end" gadgets soon. Here is a list of the features that come with Google's latest Android iteration, which the search-engine giant announced at its I/O developer's conference.

Google Now: This is Google's iteration of a digital personal assistant. Google Now draws data about its users, and provides search results before a search is even performed based on previous entries. It will also create cards for users based on weather, traffic, places and more.

Project Butter: The Android 4.1 software is said to offer the smoothest interface of any Android operating system yet, an incentive known as "Project Butter." Scrolling and responsiveness are reportedly faster than in previous treat-themed updates.

Notifications and Widgets: Users can expand notifications and perform social functions such as replying to a tweet or sharing a photo through this drop down menu. Widgets are easier to place on the home screen, as items automatically move to create a space for a new icon. Launching and exiting apps are also quicker due to the smoother performance of the overall operating system.

Camera and Gallery: A slight upgrade allows Jelly Bean users to swipe between the camera and gallery app seamlessly.

Keyboard and Voice Input: The keyboard for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is more responsive, and users can add shortcuts to their dictionary to create their own shorthand terms. Voice input can be used to dictate notes and messages, and the feature can now be used offline as well.

It was also previously reported that Samsung could be working on tests for the Jelly Bean software on the Galaxy S3, but the Korea-based company has yet to confirm.