We have some fantastic news for those of you with a Samsung Galaxy S3 handset, as it looks like you are about to get a taste of Android 4.2.2 very early. Samsung has yet to bring the software to the S3 officially, but a early download is now available for those who are willing to install it manually.

You may want to take up this opportunity as well, as installing Android 4.2.2 on the Samsung Galaxy S3 will actually grant you some new features and functionality that are available on the newer S4. More specifically, users will be granted the new S-Voice features from the S4, new screen modes and also the addition of voice controls as well, which is another previously exclusive feature on the S4.

Perhaps more importantly, you don’t need to have a rooted handset in order to install this. The guys over at Sam Mobile have provided a download link, plus installation instructions to help beginners get Android 4.2.2 up and running on the S4. They make a note to say that this is pre-release software, so it should end up largely the same build that Samsung will officially release in the coming weeks.

If you are interested in downloading this today, make sure you backup your data beforehand, as this will wipe data on the device including the SD card. To give evidence that it works without any problems, Sam Mobile has also provided a video demonstration, letting you see close hand that Android 4.2.2 is able to run on the Samsung Galaxy S3.

It is fantastic news indeed for all Galaxy S3 owners, but hopefully we’ll see some similar news for those looking for an Android 4.2.2 update on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Let us know how you get on with this if you are planning to install. How is your device looking now on Android 4.2.2?

If you are still in possession of a Samsung Galaxy S3 device on T-Mobile, we have some very good news for you this week. The Galaxy S4 may be available on the network, but T-Mobile are still keeping up with their support for the old model we’re pleased to see. A new software update is available, bringing the T-Mobile Galaxy S3 to Android 4.1.2.

More importantly, it specifically adds the very useful multi-window feature, which will allow users to use two apps simultaneously side-by-side – perfect for multitasking lovers. It essentially means that you can open up a video on YouTube, having it playing and then continue to view the video as well as another app next to it at the same time.

Android 4.1.2 on the Galaxy S3 also adds an auto-pairing feature via NFC, as well as some enhanced camera options that picture lovers will appreciate. The update officially started rolling out on May 13, so hopefully a lot of you should have already received a notification to update to Android 4.1.2 OTA.

Once installed, you should have a new baseband of T999UVDMD5 – you can check this in your device settings. If you are yet to receive a notification, you can also attempt to push the update manually in phone settings, or grab the update using your computer and the Samsung Kies software.

As always, make sure you are on a WiFi connection and have sufficient battery life available. T-Mobile has said that the update is around 168MB in size, so make suitable requirements as necessary. We think it’s nice that T-Mobile dropped the update during the Galaxy S4 launch fever – just a nice reminder that the love is still there from the carrier for those that are deciding to hold on to the Galaxy S3 for a little while longer.

Have you received the update to Android 4.1.2 yet in your area?

Even though the Samsung Galaxy S4 release date looms, it does not mean people are about to give up on their trusty Galaxy S3, although they do wish their current handset would have more staying power. For the most part the S3 battery life is rather impressive when compared to other Android handsets, and the iPhone 5, but it’s still not enough for those who rely on their phone heavily throughout the day.

However, there are some Samsung Galaxy S3 battery improvements, and one of these has just got cheaper. If you are a heavy user, then Phones Review has found the ZeroLemon Samsung Galaxy S3 Extended Battery case, which comes with a 7000 mAh battery.

This is not the most impressive thing about the case though, but rather its $33.99 price tag on Amazon. There are three color options for you, black, blue and white. There are other Galaxy S3 extended battery cases to choose from, but this is one of the cheapest and slimmest currently on the market, one that gives the handset a new lease of life for those of you who run out of juice during the course of a day.

Speaking of other cases like this on the market, the ZeroLemon offers more battery capacity than most of them, which is another reason why this seems to be such a good deal. That’s not all though, as the ZeroLemon Galaxy S3 Extended Battery comes with NFC support as well.

There is one negative feature though, and that is its design, as it does look rather ugly, but would you agree?

Since Samsung treated us to all the details in regards to the Galaxy S4 last week, there will be those of you wondering what the Galaxy S3 marketability will now be like. Well it seems we already know that since some action that has been taken, and that will be to make it more of a mid-range phone, because this smartphone still has so much to offer.

However, to do this there will need to be a price cut and Amazon has already taken measures by slashing the price of the Galaxy S3 on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. Now we know what you are thinking, we have seen pretty decent deals in the past, but nothing like $0.01 from the big three US carriers, via Amazon on a two-year contract of course.

There’s also news that Samsung is to add another color for the S3 to the mix, this time in Purple, but will not be available until late April, which is around the same time as the Galaxy S4 is released and only on Sprint for now. This shows that the US carriers are not giving up on the current flagship handset from Samsung because of its marketability value in the mid-range sector now.

Should I buy the Galaxy S3 or S4? The new Galaxy S4 from Samsung is a fantastic phone and is a decent update when compared to the S3, but it’s not the revolution we had hoped and because they look very similar side-by-side that choice is made even tougher.

If you always want the latest and greatest smartphone then we know you’ll go for the new S4. However, if you are more prudent then the Galaxy S3 is more than enough for the regular smartphone user because the features are sufficient enough for your needs.

Verizon may have been a little late to the party with regards to smartphone releases and official software updates during 2012, but we do have some positive news to give to those with a Samsung Galaxy S3. A new software update is available, adding some minor feature improvements to the device which should be available to most users before the end of the week.

Unfortunately though, it isn’t the Android 4.2 update that a lot of you have been hoping for. Instead this update will bring your Verizon Galaxy S3 to Android 4.1.2 and a new build number of VRBMB1. The file will be a 150MB download and will add improvements such as predictive text in the keyboard, the ability to take pictures whilst on a call and also an improvement to email syncing.

There’s also a tweak to Bluetooth performance, as well as the addition of a manual refresh button that is now situated inside the lock screen stock ticker. Rather sneakily, Verizon also appears to be up to their old tricks by adding two pieces of bloatware, identified as Verizon Navigator and an Amazon app as well.

To reiterate, the update should be available to users before the end of the week, as you should know phases occur sporadically over a period of time. You can read Verizon’s official PDF document here for further details. It’s not a massive update truth be told, but at least it is some official support just in case you thought Verizon had abandoned you.

Will the device still receive an update to Android 4.2 before the likes of the Galaxy S4 is out? Let’s wait and see what happens. Let us know if you have already received an OTA notification to update to the new version, and if you have spotted any hidden features that Verizon hasn’t mentioned on their included notes.

We have some good news for price-conscious consumers out there, especially those that are currently residing on T-Mobile’s books. It was a well known fact last year that the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S3 did not come with 4G LTE support, unlike the other US variants of the device on the likes of AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.

It was initially thought that Samsung’s popular handset would stay on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network throughout 2013, but now it appears that the US carrier has had a change of heart. New information has appeared, revealing that T-Mobile are actually in the planning stages of releasing a brand new Galaxy S3 with 4G LTE support.

The guys over at TmoNews have provided another of their trusty leaked roadmaps, referencing a Galaxy S3 LTE release date of either March 27 or April 4 – yes, two possible dates have supposedly been mentioned by T-Mobile. There’s no word on pricing unfortunately, but we expect the deal will be good since the handset is now starting to age with phones such as the Galaxy S4 and Note 3 on the way at some point in the year.

Two colors will be available on offer – either Marble White or Titanium Gray, as standard. It goes without saying that hardware specifications will remain the same, so expect features such as a 4.8-inch display, 1GB of RAM, 1.4Ghz quad-core processor and an 8 megapixel camera – certainly very decent specs you would agree.

One area that may be updated though is the Android operating system. The original GS3 launched with Ice Cream Sandwich, but we expect that the T-Mobile Galaxy S3 LTE will come equipped with the latest version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean – fingers crossed on this aspect.

Does this appeal to any T-Mobile customers out there, or is it a case of too little, too late? Let us know if you would be willing to buy this, or if you will opt for a more glamorous upcoming handset instead.

When Samsung released the Galaxy S3 to the world last May (well in certain countries) the handset was greeted very favorable, so much so that in the UK several months before Christmas it was shifting more units that the iPhone 5. The smartphone continues to do very well even though a new version is due in a few months time. The release of the Galaxy S4 has certainly got us a little excited because there have been so many rumors as to what new spec upgrades we are likely to see.

While most of the rumors do seem a little far-fetched at this time, such as a flexible display there are still some rumors that could come to fruition. First up there’s the all-important screen, the current S3 has a 4.8-inch 720 x 1280 pixels display, which is compared to the rumored 5-inch Full HD 1080 x 1920 pixels screen. Running the show on the S3 is the Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 chip, whereas the S4 is expected to get the Quad-core 2 GHz Cortex-A15 processor. However, Samsung could also go with the 1.8GHz Exynos 5 Octa processor, which was shown off during CES earlier this month.

The Galaxy S3 currently has 1GB of RAM, but it’s believed that the S4 will be upgraded to 2GB of RAM, although the upcoming handset is expected to stick with the same storage capacity. The camera is expected to go from 8-megapixel up to 13-megapixel with Full HD video recording.

There had been rumors to suggest that the S4 would come packing Android 5.0 Key Lime, but as we know this is still a long way from completion it looks as though the latest version of 4.2 Jelly Bean will be used instead – although this could change closer to release.

Speaking of release, we recently reported that the Samsung Galaxy S4 could be announced as early as March with a release a month later. This could mean that the successor to the S3 would be released a month earlier than expected. It’s also hoped that the S4 would be released in the US at the same time as in European countries and on multiple US carriers as well. What do you think a worthy update to the successful Galaxy S3 should include?

We have some good news for those of you with a Samsung Galaxy S3 handset on AT&T, who are still running on Ice Cream Sandwich. Before the end of the year, Samsung dropped an official update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at last, but only for those with access to the Samsung Kies software. Now, we’re hearing that the company along with AT&T are finally ready to provide the latest software to everyone with an OTA install.

If you have been lucky through the night, you may have already received a notification from AT&T to install Jelly Bean straight away. If not, there’s no reason to panic as AT&T should have everyone updated to Jelly Bean over the weekend as updates obviously rollout in gradual stages depending on where you live.

An alternative method if you don’t want to wait for the notification to arrive, is to head into your phone settings and try to push the update manually to see if that works. If you have the update already, you’ll be able to enjoy new features such as Google Now, a new web browser and camera application, and a general performance improvement that every new major version of Android usually brings.

There’s also some additional features crammed in as well as the default Jelly Bean improvements. These include a Pop-Up Play update, Blocking Mode and a new low-light picture mode when using the camera. It should put a smile on a lot of Galaxy S3 users on AT&T who have been stuck on Ice Cream Sandwich, while it may even keep you from upgrading to another device a little longer.

Have you received an OTA notification to install Jelly Bean on your Galaxy S3, or are you still waiting? Let us know if you managed to push the update manually as well.

We have some good news for those of you who have been patiently waiting for arguably the best color of the Samsung Galaxy S3 released so far. The T-Mobile Titanium Gray Galaxy S3 had been delayed a number of times throughout 2012, but now we’re pleased to say that those of you on T-Mobile can now buy one online for the same price as the standard Galaxy S3.

It’s always nice to pick up a new phone in a shiny new color and there’s no denying that the Titanium Gray edition of the Galaxy S3 looks lovely. The Marble White version is nice, but so far the Pebble Blue model seems to be the one that everyone is opting for at the moment.

If you head to T-Mobile’s online store though, you’ll see the Titanium Gray up for sale with a price of $279.99 on a two-year contract and includes a $50 mail-in rebate. For this price you’ll get the 16GB storage version and hardware specs are exactly the same as the other versions – which means that you’ll get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.

Titanium Gray isn’t actually the third color option for the Galaxy S3 though, as some of you may be lucky enough to be in possession of the Garnet Red version, although it’s thought to be pretty hard trying to obtain one as it is. If we had to choose though, we would say the new Gray color looks the best and if you are not too bothered about owning the latest phone in 2013, this could be a safe bet for you as the Galaxy S3 is still a great phone.

You’ll find more details on T-Mobile’s website where you can order the device now. What color did you choose when you bought your Galaxy S3?

We have some good news for those of you with the LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy S3, as it looks like Samsung are now in the midst of rolling out their latest Jelly Bean update. Android 4.1.2 is now available for some LTE models and started rolling out a few days ago just before the turn of new year. That means that the bulk of Galaxy S3 LTE users should have received their update by now and will presumably be happy with the generous amount of new features that it brings with it.

Having said that, the update is obviously tied to specific carriers, so there are probably a lot of you who are still waiting for the update to reach specific networks as the new version will not be available to everyone at the exact same time. As far as we’re aware, US Galaxy S3 LTE owners are still waiting for the update and it could be some time until the likes of Verizon and AT&T decide to roll out with the International model traditionally first to new updates before carrier versions.

That means that some lucky users in Europe should have already seen, or will be seeing a notification to update to Android 4.1.2 and one of the main features added is the multi-window feature as part of Samsung’s Premium Suite. You may have thought that this was a feature exclusive to the Galaxy Note family, but it’s great that Samsung are also extending the feature to Galaxy S3 users as well. The multi-window tool works exactly as it does on the Note 2 – allowing users to simultaneously view two windows including live media.

Other features included in the update are Page Buddy, a new Gallery application, a brightness slider, notification panel, smart rotation and much more. We’ve added two useful videos below giving you a preview of what to expect as part of the Premium Suite for the Galaxy S3 – it should certainly keep users very happy until the Samsung Galaxy S4 arrives with Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, although don’t forget Android 4.2 has yet to arrive with Photo Sphere and Gesture Typing.

Have you received a notification to update to Android 4.1.2 in your area? For those that have, let us know your early impressions of some of the new features on offer. Is the Galaxy S3 still adequate for your smartphone needs in 2013, or are you already thinking of upgrading as soon as the next major flagship handset is out?

[image]