While only a few countries have received their Android 2.1 kits for their Xperia X10 handsets, Sony Ericsson have already compiled a promotional video on how to upgrade your Xperia X10 from Android 1.6 to Android 2.1. Some may however argue that the time could have been better spent releasing the update for all countries.
The video guides users through the process of upgrading the Xperia X10, as well as backing up their settings and data, as well as how to restore the information once the update to Android 2.1 has been successful. The video suggests that you use the built in Backup and Restore app. You may need to head over to “m.sonyericsson.com/backup” to download and install the latest version of the application, which allows you to now backup apps from the Android Market. From there, the video guides you through how to check if there’s an update on your phone and how to proceed. The video demonstrates how to update using PC Companion but, the X10 can also be updated using the Sony Ericsson Update Service. You can view the full video of the upgrade process, as well as how to back up and restore your apps and data, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Despite previous claims from the Sony Ericsson UK staff, mainly via their Twitter page, folks in the UK did not receive the Android 2.1 update before the end of October. Only the Nordic market saw the update on Sunday. Since then, Russia, Indonesia, many African countries and Singapore have also all seen the Android 2.1 update reach their Xperia X10 phones. Unfortunately the UK is still waiting and it may be a few more days before the update is released.
On the Sony Ericsson UK Twitter page, they’ve apologized for the delays and say the update should be with UK X10 owners within the next few days. However a later Tweet also says that they will have more information in a few days, so it may even be the second week of November when the UK get the Android 2.1 update. It’s also likely that this will only be available to unbranded handsets and network branded handset owners may have to wait even longer. This however is the case for most markets.
Following on from our previous post, it’s now been confirmed that non SEUS Pro account holders are also able to update to a newer version of Android from the outdated Android 1.6 preinstalled on our Xperia X10 handsets. As promised the update has been rolled out for those of us with Norwegian handsets. The update has also come at the promised time, the evening of October 31st. Despite this, there still seems to be a lot of unhappyness among other X10 owners who do not have a Norwegian X10 handset. The update is confirmed to be available for the X10, X10 Mini and Mini Pro.
It doesn’t look like any other countries will be getting the update tonight and so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see which kits are released then and for which countries. Until then though, I’m sure they’ll be a lot of jealous X10 owners from other parts of the world. Are you able to wait a bit longer? I certainly can’t stop checking my phone, even though it looks like there won’t be another update out tonight.
Well we can’t say Sony Ericsson broke their promise this time, Android 2.1 is being pushed to handsets right now. Unfortunately the update is available to users who have a SEUS Pro account. The SEUS Pro accounts are only available to Sony Ericsson employees and retailers, or anyone they approve for the account, so if you’re hoping to quickly sign up for one, unfortunately that isn’t going to work. However with some already receiving the update, it should become available for regular SEUS users soon.
Several members over at the XDA Developers forums already have the firmware installed and are trying to decrypt it for others to use. We’ll keep you informed of how this progresses. The above picture has been uploaded by Reb0rn during the upgrade process.
Following on from 2.0.A.0.453 and 2.0.B.0.109, two more 2.X Software versions for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 have appeared on the PTCRB site and have been certified and approved. For now we still don’t know exactly what these updates are, whether they are the “kits” we’ve been hearing about, or extra updates we don’t know as of yet.
However the latest approved firmware, we have seen before. From the leaked screen shots of Android 2.1 running on the Xperia X10, we saw one screen shot showing the build number and we hadn’t seen that before. This has now appeared on PTCRB and has been certified. Hopefully this will mean that the features that were blurred out on the screen shots will be present on our Xperia X10 handsets when 2.1 is released.
While most of us are waiting patiently, or impatiently, unknown13x over at the XDA-Developer forums has already got Android 2.1 running on his Xperia X10 handset. He’s taken the time to share some screen shots of how Android 2.1 will look on our X10 handsets when it’s finally released. There are one or two things in the screen shots which have been blurred out, as while the features appear in his version of Android 2.1, Sony Ericsson may have decided to drop them for the consumer release of Android 2.1, so he doesn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, or make people angry with Sony Ericsson, as has happened before. At the same time however, he notes that there may be more in store for us that what is on his handset but, we won’t know for sure until the Android update is released.
You can take a look at the screen shots of 2.1 on X10 after the jump. It’s also worth noting that the build number is different to what we’ve seen approved on the PTCRB site, which may mean the blurred out menu items have been taken away, or new things added, we’ll just have to wait and see though. Read the rest of this entry »
In anticipation of Android 2.1 being released, Sony Ericsson have created a promo video following on from where Rikard Skogberg’s videos of 2.1 on the X10 left off. The promotional video goes over some of the same stuff as Skogberg’s did but, professionally done. This gives us a clearer look at the new menu and lock screen. We also see some other new bits which we didn’t see on the Homescreen and Timescape videos. You can view the video from Sony Ericsson below.
It’s also noted that the video gives the impression that the update is already out. Instead it should be classed as a pre-release instead.
After months of waiting and various delays, Sony Ericsson have put a firm date down for the release of the Android 2.1 update. We’ve previously heard that the update will be rolled out in kits, where a kit configuration depends on your handset configuration. For example, the color and bundled accessories with your handset can have an impact on which kit you’ll have but, most importantly the regional settings are the main reasons for a different kit set. The first market/kit to be rolled out will be to those with Nordic X10 handsets. The update will begin from the evening of October 21st, European time. Other kits will be rolled out on Monday and throughout November. As of yet though, we don’t know what order the kits will be rolled out, or for which countries.
It’s also noted that the kits being rolled out are generic kits, so will apply to non branded handsets. Network branded handsets may have an additional delay, which we’ve already seen in the UK with O2 and the R2BA026 Sony Ericsson firmware update.
We recently reported that a French online retailer was soon to start shipping the Xperia X10 HD. The X10 HD carries the same hardware as the current Xperia X10 handset on the market, which most of us here probably own. The one difference however is the X10 HD model ships with Android 2.1 and the 720p HD video recording capabilities. While there’s still no sign of the Android 2.1 update yet for existing Xperia owners, the Xperia X10 HD carries 2.1 already and is being shipped right now by RueDuCommerce.
While this will be disappointing for existing Xperia X10 owners, it seems that the retailer is charging users an extra €100 to own the X10 HD with 2.1. The current Xperia X10 model in black retails for €429 and the white for €479. A black Xperia X10 HD however will set you back €529. If you haven’t got an X10 already, do you think €100 more is a fair price to pay for an updated version of Android, or would you be happy to wait it out for a little while longer and save €100?
Things certainly seem to be on track for Android 2.1 being released from the end of this week. The latest Android 2.1 update news for Xperia X10 owners, including Mini and Mini Pro owners, is that Sony Ericsson have listed the X10 Mini as now having 2.1. From the Sony Ericsson website, selecting the X10 Mini takes you to the X10 Mini page and above the specifications and information, there’s a flash video. In the first section of the video towards the end it reads “Our smallest touchscreen slider yet. Now with Android 2.1″. While an update doesn’t seem to have been released yet hopefully this means that by the time a handset is shipped out it will have Android 2.1 preloaded and exisiting X10 Mini owners will have the update. Hopefully X10 and X10 Mini Pro owners will also get the update at the same time.
At the moment, on the Sony Ericsson website, the X10 Mini Pro page hasn’t been updated to include information about Android 2.1. Where as the X10 page doesn’t appear to be working correctly at all, instead the flash video shows you the X10 Mini information.
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