One reason a number of people bought an iPhone 4S had been for Siri, even if some upgraders felt that the 4S didn’t equal the iPhone 5 they were expecting, but it now seems that Google is bringing Siri like features to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The difference between these two voice command features is up for debate, and we have included a video below this article that compares both the betas.

Siri on iOS 6 beta 2 has some amazing improvements, which will provide a lot more diversity and expanded abilities for Siri, but this has been compared to the new “Google Now” search feature on Jelly Bean. The video reviewer is certainly bias towards Android 4.1, and states that Google’s offering is much faster and sounds more human-like. Hit the comments after watching the video and let us know if you agree with the video creator.

Earlier on this week we looked at the upcoming Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update and the release date expected somewhere in the middle of July. We have included a second video below this article that looks at the first device running the next major Android OS, which is the Nexus 7 tablet and this video also gives you a quick taste of the features you should expect within Android 4.1. The first video came by way of iPhone Rumors although these guys obviously support the iOS platform.

The best for voice commands: Siri on iOS 6 beta 2 or Google Voice Search (aka Google Now) on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean? You can see the official Google Now video in the third video below, which clearly explains what Google are aiming for with their new voice search.

In traditional fashion, Google has just been spotted putting the official mascot figure outside their campus and thanks to a picture already released, the figures for Android Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich now have a new friend to play with.

In a shock twist, it turns out that the official Jelly Bean man won’t actually have a face! We’re guessing that the picture shown above is the final outcome of the Jelly Bean figure, but it seems that Google has decide to not give him / her any facial features, instead focusing on the contents of his stomach – actual lifelike Jelly Beans in a variety of wonderful colors.

The best thing about this particular reveal, is that most of the features of Jelly Bean have been kept a secret. We haven’t had any major interface leaks about the next version of Android, meaning that it should be a great event to tune into to see the new software demoed live on stage by Andy Rubin.

The Nexus tablet is odds on to be the first device to ship with Jelly Bean, but the big question that most of you are asking now is – will my current smartphone or tablet be getting an update to Jelly Bean as well? Considering that many smartphones are still without an Ice Cream Sandwich update or have just received one – you shouldn’t get your hopes up about receiving one before the end of the year.

We’ll probably get the usual line of hardware not being compatible with the latest version of Android, meaning that older versions of Android handsets will more than likely be crossed off the list. The Galaxy S3 is one device which you can guarantee will be getting an update, but what about say the Galaxy Nexus and the Droid RAZR / RAZR MAXX?

Considering that the Droid RAZR is only just getting Android 4.0, we would imagine that the device won’t be getting an update to Jelly Bean. It is all ifs and buts at the moment of course, but the slow nature of carrier software rollouts doesn’t exactly make us confident that a large number of handsets out now will get Android 4.1.

How optimistic are you about getting an update to Jelly Bean? Does your future now solely rest in the hands of places like the XDA Developers Forums, or are you now thinking about upgrading to the Galaxy S3 or the Nexus tablet, to ensure that you definitely get a helping of Jelly Bean? All eyes are on Google I/O this week – stay tuned.

Android ICS is only on around five percent of devices on the platform and we already starting to hear about the next version of the operating system. An article on Droid Matters is reporting that sources have said to Digitimes that Google is likely to release the software during the second quarter of this year.

It is being claimed that Google is looking to launch the software to take on the release of Microsoft’s Windows 8. Android 5.0 is believed to be optimized for tablet PCs, and will also focus on Google Chrome integration. The software is thought to utilize Chrome OS functions with Android 5.0 and Chrome OS without needing to reboot the device.

Companies will be able to decide if they want to use just Android 5.0 or have a dual-boot system that can use both Android and Chrome OS. It has to be remembered this is just a rumor currently and Google good just be working on the software and a second quarter release date may be a bit early. The latest OS hasn’t been around for that long, and a number of devices are launching running Android Gingerbread.

But it has to be said Google does normally release a new version of Android on average about every five months as you can see from the table below.

• Android 1.5 to Android 1.6 – 5 months
• Android 1.6 to Android 2.0 – 1 month
• Android 2.0 to Android 2.2 – 7 months
• Android 2.2 to Android 2.3 – 7 months
• Android 2.3 to Android 3.0 – 2 months
• Android 3.0 to Android 4.0 – 8 months

If true this news will be frustrating for many users of the Android platform who may have no exact date their quite new smartphone will be updated to Android ICS, let alone Jelly Bean. Which version of Android are you currently using?

Redmond Pie is reporting Google will continue the trend for naming different versions of its Android operating systems after sweets that begun in 2008. Currently there isn’t much known about the features of the Jelly Bean version, but the source has been assuring that it will bring “Game Changing Stuff”. This could mean a variety of things and hopefully will be more than just another different layout.

At present there is no version number for Jelly Bean yet, which is also the case for the next version Ice Cream Sandwich. There isn’t that much known about that version yet except it has been designed for smartphones and tablet devices. Currently we have Gingerbread that was designed with smartphones in mind, and Honeycomb that was for tablet devices. Ice Cream Sandwich is set to change all that and work for both types of device.

Google hasn’t revealed much about the next version of Android officially but there has been some leaked screenshots. These hint at a refined and improved interface that will see some of Honeycomb brought to the smartphone.

It remains to be seen what Jelly Bean will bring though but there are still some Android handsets waiting to receive Gingerbread. Hopefully with Ice Cream Sandwich and then Jelly Bean recent devices will be updated quicker and be less fragmented. The operating system has come a long way since it was first released towards the end of 2008, and is a genuine rival to the iPhone’s iOS.

Are you on Android and what do you think of it?