Vodafone UK has begun to push out the update for the Samsung Galaxy S, updating the smartphone to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Vodafone looks to be the first UK carrier to offer the update.

The first signs of Gingerbread for the Galaxy S were spotted over the weekend, with the new firmware being flagged up in several Nordic countries. According to Vodafone’s change-list, the handset will get a “simpler and slicker” UI, the new Gingerbread keyboard, boosted power and camera management, and the ability to lock it into 2G mode.

To install the new firmware, you’ll need to hook your Galaxy S up to a PC running Samsung KIES. Let us know how you get on in the comments!

Press Release:

NEWS: Update for the Samsung Galaxy S

A new maintenance release for the Samsung Galaxy S is now available for Vodafone customers. This is an Android platform update to 2.3 Gingerbread which introduces a number of fixes and improvements which include;

Ul Enhancements (simpler and slicker)
New Android Keyboard, with easy copy/paste feature
Improved Power Management
Multiple Camera Management (front and back)
The ability to switch the device to GSM (2G) only mode has been restored in this update.

How will you get the latest software?

This can be done manually by connecting your handset to your computer via USB and opening the Samsung KIES application. You will be prompted that an update is available and should then follow the onscreen instructions.

Checking the software version

To check which version of the software you have on your handset you need to dial *#1234#

The new software version will show as i9000BUJV4