Xperia Xtra
Sony Ericsson has pulled a U-turn that is sure to delight many an Xperia X10 owner by announcing it will roll out Android 2.3.3 to the handset.
The firm had been slated for refusing to update the software beyond Android 2.1 Eclair and it seems there will still be plenty of disgruntled Sony Ericsson customers out there as the X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro as well as the X8 will not get a Gingerbread boost.
According to a blog post, the update will roll out before the "end Q2/ early Q3" so there will still be a bit of a wait for X10 owners who will probably get it in June at the earliest, starting with those that have unlocked handsets.
However, Sony Ericsson warned: "Due to the resources available in this special project, we will focus on delivering trade versions of the software. Regarding possible customized operators kit we will have to get back with more information on this at a later stage. But we want to be very clear already at this stage on the fact that some of you may not get this upgrade."
The upgrade should bring the X10 handset in line with the company's 2011 Xperia line-up with the ‘majority' of Gingerbread functionality, the blog said.
However, X10 owners who get the upgrade will have to note that they will lose any music and films bought via their phone as "DRM keys for protected content on your phone will be lost in the upgrade process" and they will not be able to swap back to Android 2.1 if they are unhappy with the update.
It is thought the Gingerbread update for the X10 is possible as it is similar to the Arc but X8, X10 Mini and Mini Pro owners have still bombarded the blog's wall with complaints that their handsets are not getting a shiny software overhaul.
In related news, Sony Ericsson's newest flagship handset, the Xperia Play will be delayed in coming to O2's network as the operator has spotted a number of software bugs.
The handset was due to launch on 1 April across all 5 of the UK's major networks but O2 has declared it will put the release on hold, while working with Sony Ericsson to fix the problem.
In a blog post, O2's head of testing, Stuart Hibberd wrote: "We've been testing the phone non-stop for weeks and have found some bugs in the software that, if they're not fixed, means customers won't have a great experience."
