Sprint begins Jelly Bean rollout to the Samsung Galaxy S3

Sprint has begun rolling out the Android 4.1(Jelly Bean) update to their version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 (see our review). An Android Central Forums member shared an update announcement yesterday claiming it would start today, but now we have confirmation. This makes Sprint the first US carrier to rollout Jelly Bean to the Galaxy S3 and good on them for that.

Here are the benefits of the upgrade:

• Google Now
• Expandable notifications
• Android Beam
• Smarter widgets
• Camera enhancements
• Blocking Mode
• AllShare Cast Wireless Hub compatibility
• NFC One-Touch Pairing Support

The update will come over-the-air and will be rolled out gradually, so if you don't have it yet, sit tight.

If you're a Sprint customer with a Galaxy S3, we'd love to hear from you if you've received the update and have thoughts about it. Visit our Sprint Samsung Galaxy S3 Forum to talk about it. Full press release after the break,

Sprint First U.S. Wireless Carrier to offer Jelly Bean to Samsung Galaxy S III Customers,

Rollout Starts Today

Today, Sprint became the first U.S. wireless carrier to offer the Android™ 4.1.1, Jelly Bean, update to its Samsung Galaxy S® III customers. The update began rolling out today and adds a host of new and enhanced TouchWiz® features, offering a faster, richer and more responsive device experience.

The update is available as an over the air update. When your Galaxy S III is eligible for the update, it will automatically download. Once the download is complete, you will be prompted to install the update. Installation will take a few minutes, and your device will be disabled during the installation process. It will be ready to use when the process is complete.

Jelly Bean offers users a smoother, faster and more fluid experience with expanded feature functionality, including:

• Google Now™ gets you just the right information at just the right time, like how much traffic to expect before you leave for work or when the next train will arrive as you’re standing on the platform. Google Now can be launched by pressing and holding the menu key from the home screen.
• Expandable, actionable notifications allowing you to take action directly from the notifications shade.
• Android Beam™ now lets you send photos and more.
• Widgets work like magic as you place widgets on the screen, everything else automatically moves to make room; when they're too big, widgets resize on their own.

Samsung also added new capabilities to Galaxy S III, including:

• Camera Enhancements:
• New live camera and camcorder filters offer a range of new ways to spark your creativity. Warm vintage, cold vintage, black and white, sepia, color highlights (blue, green, red/yellow), and many more are selectable from the main camera screen.
• Pause and resume while recording video allows users to string together multiple captured video clips from a party, birthday, or sporting event into a single file with no post editing required.
• Low light photo mode takes advantage of Galaxy S III’s best-in-class High Dynamic Range (HDR) capabilities and offers an optimized mode for low light and indoor photos.

• Pop Up Play Update easily resizes or pauses the Pop Up Play picture-in-picture video window, taking full advantage of Galaxy S III’s powerful processor and large 4.8-inch display.
• Easy Mode is a simplified user experience option for first-time smartphone owners, providing large home screen widgets that focus on the device essentials.
• Blocking Mode can disable incoming calls, notifications, alarms and LED indicators for a designated period of time.
• Improved Usability with access to multiple keyboard options and the addition of the Swype® keyboard.

With the Jelly Bean update, Galaxy S III will also add support for some exciting new accessories.

• AllShare® Cast Wireless Hub allows users to wirelessly mirror their phone screen to any HDTV or HDMI® display. It even supports licensed content playback of premium TV and movies.
• NFC One Touch Pairing Support pairs Galaxy S III with supporting NFC Bluetooth® accessories in a single touch.