Google unveiled Android's new Jelly Bean software last week, but it's difficult to get excited about Android software updates because manufacturers and carriers aren't clearing the new versions fast enough, and therefore many people are left with older versions of the software on their devices.

In eight months, only 10.9 per cent of Android devices have been updated with Android's Ice Cream Sandwich software, which was unveiled at Google's I/O developer conference in 2011.

The delay is increasingly frustrating Android users, as app developers are launchings apps in keeping with the latest software features. According to Google's developers page, 17.3 percent of devices that accessed Google Play are still using Android 2.2 Froyo, which means their phones are incompatible with many of the latest apps. The majority of Android devices that accessed Google's online store are using Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which is found on 63.6 percent of devices.

Just as Google started pushing out Android's Ice Cream Sandwich more aggressively, it unveiled Jelly Bean Android 4.1, which is set to be launched later this month.

While there is no exact release date, the company said it would roll out the update on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S first followed by the Samsung Galaxy S3, expected in the forth quarter of 2012, according to the Christian Post.

Many users are approaching the tentative release dates with skepticism after the S3's processor, the Galaxy S2, got the Android Ice Cream Sandwich update with a four-month delay in some countries.

The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update comes with a host of features that will enhance the Galaxy S3. Its performance is significantly faster than Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean is built to harness the power of mobile processors better, and improve CPU utilization, according to Google.

Project Butter

The main aim of Jelly Bean's Project Butter is for devices to run with silky smooth graphics and a seamless response rate. It does this by predicting where the user's finger will be.

Google Chrome Default Browser

Google Chrome on Jelly Bean has replaced honeycomb and ICS's default browsers. It's speedy, elegant and one of the best browsers on the market.

Google Now

This is a new feature to Jelly Bean that is run through a Siri-like voice recognition tool. It gives you answers and prompts based on your interests identified through your Google Search history, calendar and location data.

Widgets

On Jelly Bean, widgets can be re-sized and organized by users manually.

Improved Camera App

The Jelly Bean camera app has been improved the way photos can be viewed. Users can access their photos in an instant with a swipe gesture and a pinch-in-zoom gesture turns the screen into a filmstrip.

Android Beam

The NFC file- sharing interface has been significantly improved through Jelly Bean. Users can now hook-up to another NFC - enabled Android phone by tapping it against another device. Information is then transferred between the two phones through Bluetooth.

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