Galaxy Note firmware update brings enhancements, not ICS Android 4.0

Samsung has recently rolled-out a new maintenance update for its Galaxy Note smartphone. Although it's not Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich users are looking forward to, the new release brings improvements and enhancements to the overall user experience on the Samsung Galaxy Note, including the better keyboard, torch widget, brightness and lockscreen tweaks.

The Keyboard on the Samsung Galaxy Note now comes with five rows with the number row being always visible. There's also a new "one hand" mode that shrinks the layout, so users can easily type with one hand only. You can enjoy preinstalled torch widget that supports 3 different brightness levels. You cycle through them by continuously tapping the widget. The Galaxy Note firmware update also comes with ability to set different brightness level for the browser, saving you some battery juice along the way. Regarding the lockscreen, It has improved lockscreen with arrows around the padlock, encouraging you to swipe to unlock. The Calendar app now supports different date formats. Previously it showed the date in the day/month/year format. Now after this update the date format will change according to your phone's language.

The new software update will be available over-the-air (OTA) to unlocked Galaxy Note smartphones, with file size approximately 70 MB. Carrier-branded versions of the Galaxy Note will apparently be getting it in the near future.

(source)