T-Mobile confirmed on Monday that it expects to offer a software update to Galaxy Note 2 smartphone on Wednesday, both over the air and through a downloadable installation option. Two small bug fixes are included in the software as well as one big functionality addition: Support for the multiwindow view that runs two applications simultaneously on the smartphone’s generous 5.5-inch display.
T-Mo News spotted the details, which explain what’s actually in the software. The pair of bug fixes includes corrections for when Exchange calendar events don’t appear and issues with swiping through Gmail messages. Not that those aren’t important, but they’ll likely play second fiddle to the new multi-window addition.
If all goes according to plan, Galaxy Note 2 owners on T-Mobile’s network will see the feature added this Wednesday. While some manufacturer-specific add-ons are gimmicky, the multiwindow function and floating dock can actually be useful for multitaskers. And it truly differentiates the Galaxy Note 2 — as well as some Galaxy S III devices that will have the feature — not just from other Android phones, but from all other smartphones on the market.
Not everyone will want or use it of course, but for those desiring such a feature, there’s really only one game in town: Samsung. I’ve used it more than than I thought I would on my international Galaxy Note 2, which received the software in early October. Out of the top four U.S. carriers, T-Mobile is the third to add the feature; Sprint and Verizon Galaxy Note 2 handsets already have it, leaving AT&T as the lone holdout for now.
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