Samsung Galaxy S3, S2 and Note getting Jelly Bean this year

Update estimates for what are literally Samsung's biggest phones have emerged, tipping the Galaxy S3 to get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in several months, with the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note to follow in the winter.
While Samsung remains tight-lipped on the subject, SamMobile cites mysterious "insiders" who have spilled the beans regarding the latest version of Google's mobile operating system. The flagship of the Samsung fleet -- the Galaxy S3 -- is apparently nearly there, with software tests having been completed. The wait now is for the final version and approval from Google.
The Galaxy S2 is reportedly undergoing Jelly Bean testing, with Samsung apparently keen to get the latest software onto the former king of Android smart phones.
There are worrying whispers of a 'value pack' update for the Galaxy S2, which would bring some of the new features from Jelly Bean but not a full software upgrade, though so far it would seem there's no reason to think that'll happen. The Galaxy Note is apparently in the same situation, and is being tested at the moment.
According to the site, it's unclear whether the Galaxy Note 2, which Samsung recently confirmed will be shown off later this month, will land running Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean.
The rumour goes that the S3 will get Jelly Bean in late Q3 or early Q4, which means the end of September or the beginning of October. The S2 and Note are tentatively pegged for an update between October and December.
Samsung's muddled attempts at updating the Galaxy S2 to Android 4.0 proved to be a shambles and left phone owners fuming, so here's hoping the next round of major updates goes a little more smoothly.

Apple, Samsung battle over patents on Monday

Apple and Samsung will be duking it out in court this week about features that could be in your phone or tablet.

Apple alleges that its iPad and iPhone are being copied by Samsung and wants Samsung's products pulled from store shelves and online stores — and to be awarded $2.5 billion in damages. Samsung disputes the claims and alleges Apple's iPhones run on its wireless technologies — and that Samsung, in turn, should be paid royalties.

The high-stakes battle opens Monday in a federal court in San Jose in what will be one of the most widely watched Silicon Valley sagas.

"Obviously, Apple is going for injunctions on this," says Michael Barclay, a fellow with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "There are a lot of things in the iPhone that were carefully thought out and easy to use."

The trial is scheduled to go before U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh, who last month awarded Apple a preliminary injunction that could force Samsung's Galaxy 10.1 from shelves pending the outcome of the trial.

The landmark legal case could have long-lasting ripple effects on more than 50 lawsuits waged worldwide between mobile phone makers powered by Google's Android mobile operating system and Apple, say legal experts.

"It's the most important trial between these players, so far," says independent analyst Florian Mueller. "Apple is hoping for a breakthrough that would have important implications for other lawsuits."

Consumers could notice some differences if companies are forced to dramatically alter their products or remove them from markets. Still, if Apple prevails, it wouldn't be long before mobile developers would create technology workarounds, say legal experts.

Apple is waging war about similarities in hardware design, software functions and packaging. To complicate matters, Samsung is a major partner and supplier of components to Apple.

Jurors will likely be familiar with many of the touch-screen gestures that will be on trial. Apple is lodging claims against Samsung about a patent that covers touch-based dragging of documents, as well as pinch-to-zoom and twist-to-rotate capabilities. Another patent from Apple on trial will be its tap-to-zoom function that makes text or images pop up larger. Apple is also claiming Samsung infringes on its scrolling patent.

"If Apple, over time, enforces enough touch-screen user-interface patents, it could have an effect (on) consumers," says Mueller. "Combined, they can make a real difference and have a significant effect on purchasing decisions by consumers."

 

Samsung Galaxy S3 loses local search after 'stability' update

The latest update, earmarked to improve "stability," could in fact be considered a downgrade of the smartphone model.

Samsung is rolling out an update for its Galaxy S III smartphone that disables on-device search functionality.
According to Android Central, the over-the-air upgrade currently rolling out is described as a "stability" update and, although it brings system improvements, it also strips out the local search functionality from the device's inbuilt Google Search app.
Consequently, when S III owners conduct a web search on their smartphone, results generated from content stored locally on the device -- such as contacts -- will not be included.
Local search is reported to have been disabled on some U.S. S III devices, as well as on the unlocked international model.
The change is thought to be the result of the continuing patent spat between the South Korean company and Apple.
While Apple owns a patent that covers local searches, it has not been cited in the current legal battle. Samsung could well have just decided to go for the lesser of two evils -- limiting the functionality of the smartphone rather than face more legal wrangling over patents.