14 DAY TRIAL // AT&T customers who own a Samsung Captivate smartphone can now update their handsets to the Android 2.2 Froyo platform version, as their wireless carrier has started to push the software to them on Thursday. The KB1 update for Samsung SGH-i897 (Captivate) is being delivered to all users via the Kies Mini desktop software, and should work on all devices, regardless the current software they are running under.
The software update brings forth a wide range of enhancements for the Samsung Captivate, a Galaxy S device, including performance improvements, new features, and more.
Before proceeding with the software update, Captivate owners should back up all data on their handsets, so as to make sure they won't lose any important files during the installation.
The update should be performed via a desktop PC running under a 32bit version of Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, or XP.
The handset would have to be connected to the PC via a USB cable, and the Kies Mini, available for download below, should be installed on the computer. All the necessary instructions on how to perform the update are available here.
Some of the enhancements the new OS upgrade brings forth include: - New home screen tips widget assists users on how to configure the home screen with shortcuts and widgets and how to make use of multiple home screens. - The Phone, Application, Contacts and Messaging now have dedicated shortcuts on the Home screen, making it easy to access them from any of the 7 home screen panels. - Improved security with the addition of numeric pin or alpha-numeric password options to unlock device. Exchange administrators can enforce password policy across devices. - Remote wipe: Exchange administrators can remotely reset the device to factory defaults to secure data in case device is lost or stolen. - Performance of the browser has been enhanced using the V8 engine, which enables faster loading of java-script-heavy pages. - Dalvik Performance Boost: 2x-5x performance speedup for CPU-heavy code over Android 2.1 with Dalvik JIT.
Following the installation of this software update, the handset would offer support for Flash Player 10.1. Moreover, users should be able to install and store apps on the microSD card. Apps can participate in data backup and restore, the release notes show.
Samsung Captivate users have been waiting for the Android 2.2 update for quite some time now, and it seems that it finally arrived, following its availability for other Galaxy S devices in the US too.
The Samsung Kies Mini app is available for download from Softpedia too, via this link.