Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to Get Android 2.3 Gingerbread [Official]
While Sony Ericsson may have moved slow to get their first Android-based product upgraded to a modern version of the operating system, they look to zoom past Froyo and provide Android 2.3 to bring it in line with the crop of new products introduced in the past couple of months. (Such as the Xperia Arc and Play.)
They’ve announced on their blog that the Xperia X10 will get Gingerbread at the end of Q2 or early Q3. Only “generic kits” will be getting the upgrade starting out meaning those bought from retailers unlocked or not released for a specific carrier. Of course, that won’t stop the development community from trying to port the upgrade for those of you tied to a contract.
It’s the first step Sony Ericsson’s taking to do better in their Android-based ventures. They publicly came out and said they wanted to take all of what they learned from 2010 and apply it to 2011. This could have meant a few different things – such as better devices or more interaction with the after-market development community – but it’s clear that one big part of their strategy is supporting users for the long haul.
It’s a great turn around from a time where it seemed Xperia users would be stuck on Android 1.6 forever. After the X10 user-base received 2.1 Eclair, uncertainty loomed about Froyo or any other future upgrades. Fortunately, it’s not because they weren’t doing anything but because they didn’t want to promise something they couldn’t deliver.
Sony Ericsson notes that they will not be upgrading the Xperia X10 Mini and Mini Pro, and that the X10 won’t get an upgrade past 2.3.3. (Which we can understand considering we don’t even know when the next version of Android will be out.) Those on their newer handsets can at least expect Ice Cream, though, which is said to bring certain features and a bit of the style from Honeycomb to phones. Head on over to SE’s blog for the full rundown. (It’s lengthy, but I’m sure many of you will appreciate it as much as we did.)