Samsung Galaxy S III Jelly Bean Update Arrives In Korea

Samsung's slow roll-out of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the Galaxy S III continues, with South Korean users next in line to get the updated OS. Availability of Jelly Bean for the best-selling Samsung smartphone began late last month in parts of Eastern Europe, and according to Samsung the 3G version of Korean Galaxy S III handsets is next up, with features like Google Now and new homescreen widgets.

In fact, the full software is much like what we've seen recently on the Galaxy Note II, with Google Now sharing space with Samsung's own S Voice, the addition of the Block Mode for cutting down on unwanted notifications during your downtime, and tweaks to the camera app for things like pausing and resuming video recording. There are full details (in Korean) at Samsung Tomorrow.

Jelly Bean also brings changes behind the scenes of Samsung's own TouchWiz modifications, most interesting of which is Project Butter for accelerating the interface. Considering how slick the Galaxy Note II's UI is, that's a welcome addition to the flagship phone.

The Galaxy S III has been a huge hit for Samsung, in no small part helping contribute to the company's highly successful recent financial quarter. In fact, sales of the Galaxy S III took a leap during Samsung's ongoing legal spat with Apple, despite the iPhone manufacturer's best attempts to block the smartphone from sale.