Xperia X1 » Xperia Software

ICS headed to Xperia S late May/early June

QuBic — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:16:48 +0000

Sony have began pushing the Android 4.0 update out already to some of last year’s Xperia models, including the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S but, one prominent question among consumers has been when will the update be released for the company’s flagship 2012 Xperia, the Sony Xperia S? Markus from the Xperia support team has confirmed that the update will be out sometime in the next three weeks.

There have been rumours that there could be a delay on the ICS update to July but, Markus has stated that a July date is just speculation and has said that a late May/early June release is what the company will be sticking too.

As with previous updates, the rollout will be a gradual process, so some regions will get in in late May, while other regions it may be in mid June. This will be the case for unlocked handsets any way. As always, if your handset is carrier locked there may be a slight delay in the Android Icecream sandwich update release from your carrier. On previous occasions though, we have actually seen carriers release an update before unlocked handsets received it.

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Xperia Play ICS Developer ROM available

QuBic — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 08:21:11 +0000

Sony have released a developer’s ROM for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play which brings the handset up to Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich. The update is due shortly for the 2011 Xperia range for all but, if you have an Xperia Play and can’t wait to get Ice Cream Sandwich goodness and are afraid of the risks of updating to the developer’s ROM, read on.

The official word from Sony on the ROM is that you should be “an advanced developer with extensive knowledge in how to install, and switch between different ROMs” as installing the ROM does require you to unlock the bootloader on the phone to install the ROM. To unlock the bootloader you will require an unlocked Xperia Play and it must be running Xperia software 4.0.2.A.0.42.

As well as the risks of installing the firmware, it is noted that there are some downsides to installing the update, which include Gmail, Google Maps and Wi-fi not working correctly. One of Ice Cream Sandwich’s key, if not gimmicky features is also missing, Face Unlock. If that doesn’t phase you though, head on over to the Sony Developer Blog for the ROM and instructions on how to install ICS.

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Sonic CD arrives on Android Market with Xperia Play gamepad support

QuBic — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:51:34 +0000

Sega announced a little while back that they would be bringing Sonic the hedgehog CD to various platforms, including Android. The console version of the game was expected to be released this month, while the mobile version for Android and iPhone was due to be released in early 2012. Sega have however released the game early and is available to download right now on the Android Market.

Also, at the time that Sega made the announcement that Sonic CD was headed to Android, some questioned whether the game would support the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play’s gamepad controller. Unfortunately, the answer was no but, support may be added in the future. For those with an Xperia Play, not only do you get to play the game now in time for Christmas but, Sega have added Xperia Play support. The game fully supports the Xperia Play’s control pad. The game is good using the touch screen but, even better with the option of using the built in control pad. Check out the video after the jump of Sonic CD in action on the Sony Ericsson PlayStation certified handset, the Xperia Play.

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Free Xperia Box storage is coming but not yet

QuBic — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:12:33 +0000

Over on the Sony Ericsson blog, news was released that a deal with cloud-based storage company Box had been reached and that an application was available to download from the Android Market exclusively for Xperia owners which would give them 50GB of free storage on the Box network. However, Sony Ericsson later retracted that story and the app was nowhere to be seen, despite many users searching for it.

The latest news is that the blog post was made in error as Sony Ericsson aren’t quite ready to go live with the deal although, they are aiming to bring the free 50GB of storage through Box, to Xperia users, soon. A spokesman for Sony Ericsson explained the error and indicated that the promotion will be available in the near future and advised Xperia owners to ‘stay tuned’ for further information. I’m sure many of us will be doing just that for 50GB of free, secure storage.

FIFA 12 now out for Xperia Play and free

QuBic — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:24:08 +0000

FIFA 12 has now been released for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. The Xperia Play is the only Android phone currently to have it and the game will remain an exclusive to the gaming phone until February 21st 2012. For a limited time, the game is also available for free. Electronic Arts currently have several games available for free to Xperia Play owners and FIFA 12 adds to the collection.

Head on over to the game launcher on your Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and FIFA 12 should be available in the Xperia Play launcher to download. It does however, require a further download of 1.5GB once it’s been installed, so ensure you’re on a Wifi network while downloading.

Galaxy on Fire 2 is free until January 2012 for Xperia Play owners

QuBic — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:47:02 +0000

Fishlabs have made one of their top games available for the Xperia Play and it is available for free to Play owners until January 1st 2012. So there’s no great rush to download it but, if you’re after a new game for your Sony Ericsson Xperia Play you should get out Galaxy on Fire 2 on the Android Market. Even if you aren’t really looking for a new game, there’s no harm in checking out a free game, especially when it’s only free for a limited time.

In Galaxy on Fire 2 you fly through space while fighting pirates. You can upgrade your ship, mine asteroids, complete jobs and escort missions. If you really like the game and end up completing it, there is an add on available for the game. Galaxy on Fire 2′s first expansion pack is available as an in-app purchase for £2.99 and is exclusive to the Xperia Play. You can download the game to your phone with the QR code below.

O2 finally release Android 2.3 for Xperia X10

QuBic — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:43:26 +0000

For those of you who are still in a contract with O2 after taking out Sony Ericsson’s 2010 flagship handset, the Xperia X10 here’s some good news. O2 have finally released the Android 2.3 update for the Xperia X10 which, has been out for a little while now on unbranded X10 handsets and even other network branded handsets. O2 UK are the last network to provide the update to their customers as even O2 Ireland and O2 Germany provided the update as early as August. According to a blog post over on O2 the delay is because they found the update caused problems with the phone’s camera. They have however been working with Sony Ericsson to resolve this issue and it is now fixed.

Despite this, O2 still warn that the Xperia X10 may run slower once updated than it currently does on Android 2.1. Users of the O2 forum however so far have found the opposite with Quadrant tests showing Android 2.3 almost doubles the results. To update you will need to connect your phone to a PC and use PC Companion to update. You will need to back up your data with an app from the Market as the 2.3 update wipes your data and the Backup and Restore feature found on the X10 has been removed from the 2.3 update.

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Global 2.3.4 roll out for Xperia

QuBic — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:19:41 +0000

Sony Ericsson released the Android 2.3.4 update slightly earlier than expected when we saw the Android update hit Nordic handsets. However it took a little while longer for the update to be rolled out globally, which Sony Ericsson have now done.

The update is going out globally but, as always the ability to update is more than just region dependant, if your handset is network branded you will need to wait for the network to release the update to your phone.

The update brings Android up to version 2.3.4 from 2.3.3 which includes Google Talk with video chat for handsets with a front facing camera such as the Xperia Neo. Unfortunately because the Xperia Arc doesn’t feature a front facing camera, it will not get that part of the update. What it will get however, along with the Neo is 3D and 2D Sweep Panorama. You can now take panoramic photos in either 2D or 3D and view them on your TV through HDMI. You will also be able to connect USB peripherals, such as a keyboard, game controller or mouse through the Sony Ericsson LiveDock, turning your Xperia smartphone into a mini mobile PC.

Other new features include:

Updated Facebook inside Xperia
16x video zoom
Swipe to type
WiFi DLNA
Screen capture

To see if the update is available for your phone yet, head on in to the settings menu. From there select “About phone”, you’ll then be giving the option to do a “Software update”.

Xperia Play owners get four free EA games

QuBic — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:06:35 +0000

Great news for Xperia owners who have yet to buy specific EA titles. Sony Ericsson have teamed up with EA to offer Xperia Play owners free games. There are four games from EA that have been made available for free. The list of games includes two Need for Speed titles, Need for Speed: Shift and the recently released Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit which is currently an Xperia Play exclusive game. Also on offer is Dead Space and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

The games are available for free until January 15th 2012, so plenty of time to make use of this offer and if you’re thinking of giving an Xperia Play at Christmas, this is a great way to add some fantastic titles to the phone on top of the preinstalled Xperia Play games, such as Fifa 10, also from EA.

To get your free games, slide open the gamepad to launch the Xperia Play Game launcher and hit the “More Games” tab to reveal the four free EA games. You’ll then connect to the internet to download the game. After the game is downloaded and installed the game will require an additional download which will most likely be around 300 megabytes per game, so a Wifi internet connection is recommended.

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VGBA updated, now includes Xperia Play support

QuBic — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 23:49:30 +0000

VGBA is a Game Boy Advance Emulator available on the Android Market. A new version has just been released onto the market that has support for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play’s control pad. Other emulators already work very well on the Xperia Play where it’s possible to manually map the controls to physical buttons. So one with Xperia Play specific support should be even better.

As well as adding support for the Xperia Play, the touch controls have been improved along with accelerometer support and music recording. You can download the Nintendo Game Boy Advance Emulator from the Android Market for £3.22 here.

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