Someone at Sony Ericsson didn’t get the memo: Android 2.2 is the only game in town.
The Boy Genius is hearing that the Sony Xperia will be hitting AT&T’s network in the coming weeks. Sony’s Experia X10 from a hardware perspective is a very solid Android phone. It is pretty much on par with the best HTC and Motorola offer: 4-inch, 480×854 pixel screen, 1GHz Snapdragon Processor and 8 megapixel camera. It doesn’t look bad either (right).
Unconscionably, somehow, some way, Sony is shipping this thing with the outdated Android 1.6 (!!). Welcome to the Dell Streak fan club, Sony. While EVOs and Droids are currently being upgraded from Android 2.1 to Android’s 2.2 Froyo OS, Sony is soon to be shipping with 1.6 with a promise to upgrade to 2.1 by the end of they year.
Sony Ericsson states on its blog:
Some examples of user benefits that will be included in the UXP upgrade for Xperia™ X10 in Q4 2010 are:
– Upgrade to Android OS version 2.1
– HD video recording as per the same execution as Sony Ericsson Vivaz™
– Wireless home connectivity via DLNA
– Improvements to signature applications Timescape™ and Mediascape to make them even smarter and richerThe upgrade will be made available to consumers through the update service at www.sonyericsson.com
I do appreciate that the timing for the upgrade above might not meet some of your expectations and that you will have further detailed questions. I will take them onboard reading your comments and address questions as soon as it is possible for me to share further details.
I would also like to emphasise that there will be an additional smaller software update, already in the next couple of weeks aiming to enhance the usability and performance of Xperia™ X10. In the next post, I will share more details and precise timings for when this update will be released.
We can also confirm that the Xperia™ X10 mini and Xperia™ X10 mini pro will be upgraded to Android version 2.1, during Q4 2010.
Couple that with AT&T’s non-existant Android marketing and I smell a huge flop. Good way to enter into the US Android market.
Update: Sony has an ambiguous press release saying the 2.1 update may be coming in Q3 (still not outstanding):
From Q3 2010 onwards, the Xperia™ X10, X10 mini and X10 mini pro smartphones will be upgraded to run on the Android 2.1 operating system in selected markets.
Thanks Alexander!