John Cooper, UK Product Manager for Sony Mobile, has been taking questions from customers on Facebook and, perhaps inadvertently, revealed that both the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S and Xperia mini pro will not receive the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update.
We have been waiting for Sony to make an official statement on their Jelly Bean upgrade plans and this is the first concrete news we have on the matter. The Xperia arc S was the highest specced 2011 Sony Xperia handset, so if this handset isn’t getting it we can conclude that none of the other Xperia handsets from the 2011 range will get the update either. However, the 2012 Xperia range do look likely to get the update, although timing remains an unknown right now.
Its funny that many of the 2012 Xperia handsets have lower specs than the 2011 models. It sux! anw, we can hope for a developer to port JB for 2011 Xperia lineup. & Cynomod10 is coming with JB
Credit goes to www.xperiablog.net
http://www.xperiablog.net/2012/07/26/official-2011-sony-xperia-handsets-will-not-get-android-4-1-jelly-bean/
They have made a mistake
Xperia 2011 handets should have had that minor upgrade to Jelly Bean, especially given the performance issues. Also, it means those handsets are stuck permanently on 2.6 Linux kernel, unless one goes the custom ROMs way. Thankfully, Cyanogenmod devs are supporting Xperia Mini Pro, so I am starting on a quest to root my SK17i.
Jelly Bean would be slow on our phones if official update was done. Sony will push own Timescape UI inside instead of Butter UI, so we don't get any performance improvements in UI.
It's a shame, but it was expected...
Yeah, i also expect 2012 xperias will probably get Jelly Bean update around this time next year (+/- couple months), just before Key Lime Pie comes out
Someguyfromhell said:
Jelly Bean would be slow on our phones if official update was done. Sony will push own Timescape UI inside instead of Butter UI, so we don't get any performance improvements in UI.
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Click to collapse
but google successfully made JB for nexus S right? it has the same specs as the xperia 2011 lineup sooo sad
Someguyfromhell said:
Jelly Bean would be slow on our phones if official update was done. Sony will push own Timescape UI inside instead of Butter UI, so we don't get any performance improvements in UI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder....
does anyone remember Xperia x10i? the funniest was they came from Donut 1.6 to GingerBread 2.3. they've got 3 official FW update.. and me guess we still have a chance.. Our device is not low range since we have 512 ram inside. and some of Xperia 2012 family also have the same type.
I was expecting this. They won't update 2011 xperia phones to JB. But they will update 2012 xperias. If I buy another phone, it won't be a Sony. Maybe a Nexus 7 but not a Sony. I was very disappointed with the ICS update. Can't imagine a JB for our phones, maybe to slow...
Long live to Gingerbread! xD
Someguyfromhell said:
Jelly Bean would be slow on our phones if official update was done. Sony will push own Timescape UI inside instead of Butter UI, so we don't get any performance improvements in UI.
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Click to collapse
I dont't think Timescape has anything to do with Butter
Anyway, I'm not surprised, but they could change their minds if community presses them enough. As I remember, HTC upgraded Desire to GB even though they said phone was underpowered (for sense bloatware).
I smell some "business politic" here from sony.
Sent from my wt19i MIUI 2.7.6
I wasn't really expecting that our 2011 Xperia phones would get 4.1. But I'm going to flash a custom rom when it's available
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using xda app-developers app
who cares about their update...cyanogenmod 10 alpha has rolled out..have to tell its much more faster than GB..wait for fue for days l get the beta version of bug free ...just waiting to get beta cm10.
The thing is that to be able to create stable custom roms you need support from the manufacturer. Without proper source code or hardware drivers/libraries that suit the new OS developers have to tack everything together which greatly increases the chances of bugs.
IMHO the least thing Sony could do is provide a proper hardware layer to developers to give them a solid base to work from. Nobody really needs the Sony customisations anyway so they could actually save a lot of development time there.
Personally I'd wish all android phones came with AOSP, like what Apple and Microsoft do. It saves the manufacturers a lot of development and opens the way for more frequent/longer OS updates.
All hope of custom rom
**** Sony, where's Ericsson when we need him?
pfonck said:
The thing is that to be able to create stable custom roms you need support from the manufacturer. Without proper source code or hardware drivers/libraries that suit the new OS developers have to tack everything together which greatly increases the chances of bugs.
IMHO the least thing Sony could do is provide a proper hardware layer to developers to give them a solid base to work from. Nobody really needs the Sony customisations anyway so they could actually save a lot of development time there.
Personally I'd wish all android phones came with AOSP, like what Apple and Microsoft do. It saves the manufacturers a lot of development and opens the way for more frequent/longer OS updates.
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Click to collapse
Correct.
Nicely Explained Brother:good:
Here is example!
1.Bravia Engine wont work without proper supported lib files
2.Same will happen with xLoud
But we can force SONY to give us JB update
If majority of all the customers keep on telling them about the update for 2011 Family, after all customers are the only strength of any COMPANY
What say guys?
Yeah yeah yeah! As what I have expected from SONY!
Come on guys! This isnt the first time so stop relying on this b*llsh*t company. We have the developers here and they are even better than those "INCOMPETENT" developers from Sony.
So stop crying over spilled milk and just wait for JB port to our devices :good:
zerorated24 said:
Come on guys! This isnt the first time so stop relying on this b*llsh*t company. We have the developers here and they are even better than those "INCOMPETENT" developers from Sony.
So stop crying over spilled milk and just wait for JB port to our devices :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... There is
And i agree, Not only the developers here are better, they also keep updating us with Alpha, Nightly and Beta builds all the time, and they're also open for suggestions
I don't know why people keel slagging off Sony as a company?
Personally I buy an SE phone for the hardware (who else makes a tiny phone with a useable hardware keyboard?) while knowing you can optimise the thing to personal taste by modding the firmware and using apps.
As for updates the Mini Pro got 200% of what it's predecessor got (the X10 Mini Pro which only got Eclair).
Sent from my phone.
very sad news for xperia 2011 series, but im now testing CyanogenMod10 Alpha rom in lww but its have lot of bugs hope it will fix soon
And I was right! 4.1 probably coming after all!
We are actively investigating Android OS upgrades for all devices, but in the meantime, our Ice Cream Sandwich rollout for Xperia S and 2011 Xperia smartphones continues as planned.
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Source
Hey guys,
I'm ready to pull the trigger on a phone but worried about software updates, I just checked and the z which came out just a year ago is still only on android 4.3 where as the one is on 4.4.2 and will be getting 4.4.3. This is currently the dilemma I face between the one m8 and the z2. I prefer the z2 in various ways as well as the m8 in various ways but the deal breaker for me will be software updates and htc seems really committed to provide quick updates. Can anyone comment on this?
Personally, I don't care much about the Android version updates. The Xperia Z works extremely well under 4.3 and there's actually no real need to update to 4.4.2, in my view. I have the Xperia Z1 as well, and recently updated to 4.4.2 but it actually worked well under 4.3 and I don't really see that significant an improvement after the update to KitKat. I would be more concerned with the updates that fix bugs (but still under same Android version) as these would improve overall performance and squash issues.
Notwithstanding the above, Sony do tend to roll out the latest Android version to the latest devices first (e.g. Xperia Z1 before Xperia Z). But they do commit themselves to doing so for devices that are less than 2 years old. For example, KitKat is planned to rollout to Xperia Z this month.
till about end of 2012, Sony has been poor at updating their flagships...
but the last two flagships have received good regular updates...
this is Xperia Z (H1 2013):
http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/software/phones/xperia-z/
this is Xperia Z1 (H2 2013):
http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/software/phones/xperia-z1
so almost every quarter they update the Flagship to the newest available Android OS
As far as I can tell both are the same as far as bands go.
However, my question lies in, which is more favorable to get in terms of user experience? Which would you prefer? I hear the "bloatware" that Sony includes is actually pretty useful in the Sony version and rather unobtrusive. But at the same time, I thought that the Google play edition was supposed to be more easy to load custom roms. I also understand that the Google play edition is supposed to get the updates faster, but is it really that bad with Sony?
If you had the choice between the two, which would you go for? They are both about the same price, so it's not an issue, it's just a matter of which would be more preferable out of the box.
From Sony Store
http://store.sony.com/xperia-z-ultr...atid-All-Unlocked-Phones?vva_ColorCode=000000
Or...
Google play edition:
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=sony_z_ultra
ssnova said:
As far as I can tell both are the same as far as bands go.
However, my question lies in, which is more favorable to get in terms of user experience? Which would you prefer? I hear the "bloatware" that Sony includes is actually pretty useful in the Sony version and rather unobtrusive. But at the same time, I thought that the Google play edition was supposed to be more easy to load custom roms. I also understand that the Google play edition is supposed to get the updates faster, but is it really that bad with Sony?
If you had the choice between the two, which would you go for? They are both about the same price, so it's not an issue, it's just a matter of which would be more preferable out of the box.
From Sony Store
http://store.sony.com/xperia-z-ultr...atid-All-Unlocked-Phones?vva_ColorCode=000000
Or...
Google play edition:
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=sony_z_ultra
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the GPe but ordered it before Sony dropped their price. The GPe ROM has been ported over to Sony so if you get Sony you can run that. From what I have seen they can both be unlocked and rooted fairly easily. As for the update I would expect it to be ported to Sony rather quickly. Lots more Roms for Sony but there is work going on with a tool to convert Sony Roms to GPe. I would lean towards Sony but get as many opinions as you can before deciding.
I also have the gpe and would've preferred the xperia version. All the native xperia apps are missing obviously and the Google alternatives aren't that great IMO.
Get the cheapest one and root it (maybe even unlock it) and try the rom that fits you.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
adfurgerson said:
I have the GPe but ordered it before Sony dropped their price. The GPe ROM has been ported over to Sony so if you get Sony you can run that. From what I have seen they can both be unlocked and rooted fairly easily. As for the update I would expect it to be ported to Sony rather quickly. Lots more Roms for Sony but there is work going on with a tool to convert Sony Roms to GPe. I would lean towards Sony but get as many opinions as you can before deciding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, thanks for all the replies from everyone guys.
Second, @ adfurgerson, in order to port the GPe ROM over to the Sony, I"d have to root and unlock right?
I find it interesting that ROMs for the Sony won't work on the GPe. I was under some impression it'd be practically the same, and that the GPe version would be easier to root and unlock, but didn't know the real story behind it.
I whisked through some threads on here that gave me the impression that rooting and unlocking and loading custom roms was quite challenging on the Z Ultra, is this true?
Because of this, I thought I'd just keep it headache free and stick with stock.
On that note, how is the Z Ultra stock? Or is it really that desirable to root/unlock/load custom rom? FOr example, I have an ASUS Transformer TF700, stock, the thing is frustratingly slow/laggy/buggy, IMO, you MUST root/unlock/load custom ROM on that device to make it "functional"/ really appreciate the machine. Another example is the GS3 and GS4, I know plenty of people who are ok with stock.
THanks again to all. Looks like I'm leaning towards the Sony edition, the two grips I had with the z Ultra in general were: lack of LED flash(I like having a "flashlight" on my phones), and perhaps the "small" battery for such a large device.
The Sony Edition is the best option in this case.
The problem with the GPe is that the partitioning has been changed, something that make it very problematic to cross-flash between GPe and Sony and no solution has been offered as of yet. The result is that the ROM selection for the Sony Edition is much better.
Since the GPe ROM has been ported and there are a couple of options including Sony based ones to choose from, the best route is to go with the Sony Edition. Even if you decide to run the GPe ROM (like I do for now), the better selection of ROMs such as Paranoid Android, PAC, SlimKat, CarbonROM etc favors the Sony Edition.
It is also worth to mention that the Sony Edition came out a couple of months before the GPe - the availability of it is also superior since it is being sold worldwide while the GPe can be sourced only from Google in the US. This means that more developers and users have the Sony version, hence more development of ROMs.
When it comes to Sony Editions, I would go for the C6802 (no LTE) or either C6806 or C6833 depending on location and the importance of LTE bands. I have the C6802 since I consider US LTE to be of no importance to me. If I would be in Sweden, I would take the C6833.
The reason for my LTE stance is the fact that decent data plans are cheaper in Sweden than in the US. I don't see any benefits of having 2 GB of LTE data since Internet browsing etc works great on the HSPA+ network of AT&T. I would not start going on Netflix etc with 2 GB of data.
ssnova said:
First, thanks for all the replies from everyone guys.
Second, @ adfurgerson, in order to port the GPe ROM over to the Sony, I"d have to root and unlock right?
I find it interesting that ROMs for the Sony won't work on the GPe. I was under some impression it'd be practically the same, and that the GPe version would be easier to root and unlock, but didn't know the real story behind it.
I whisked through some threads on here that gave me the impression that rooting and unlocking and loading custom roms was quite challenging on the Z Ultra, is this true?
Because of this, I thought I'd just keep it headache free and stick with stock.
And for more controll rom i Installed App Ops
On that note, how is the Z Ultra stock? Or is it really that desirable to root/unlock/load custom rom? FOr example, I have an ASUS Transformer TF700, stock, the thing is frustratingly slow/laggy/buggy, IMO, you MUST root/unlock/load custom ROM on that device to make it "functional"/ really appreciate the machine. Another example is the GS3 and GS4, I know plenty of people who are ok with stock.
THanks again to all. Looks like I'm leaning towards the Sony edition, the two grips I had with the z Ultra in general were: lack of LED flash(I like having a "flashlight" on my phones), and perhaps the "small" battery for such a large device.
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Im using the Sony ultra (c6833) stock and rooted with unlocked bootloader . After i tried almost all of them rom i got back to stock sony rom and installed xposed and changed some stuff . I even have the DooMKernel kernel on it and works awsome
@ssnova the GPe was very much usable stock and I tried to convince myself to leave it that way. Unlocking , rooting and recovery was easy enough. I must admit I am unsure on which methods are current for Sony so won't comment there. I plan to do more testing of this over the weekend, if it works it would take one factor out of the equation.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2746562
E90 Commie said:
The Sony Edition is the best option in this case.
The problem with the GPe is that the partitioning has been changed, something that make it very problematic to cross-flash between GPe and Sony and no solution has been offered as of yet. The result is that the ROM selection for the Sony Edition is much better.
Since the GPe ROM has been ported and there are a couple of options including Sony based ones to choose from, the best route is to go with the Sony Edition. Even if you decide to run the GPe ROM (like I do for now), the better selection of ROMs such as Paranoid Android, PAC, SlimKat, CarbonROM etc favors the Sony Edition.
It is also worth to mention that the Sony Edition came out a couple of months before the GPe - the availability of it is also superior since it is being sold worldwide while the GPe can be sourced only from Google in the US. This means that more developers and users have the Sony version, hence more development of ROMs.
When it comes to Sony Editions, I would go for the C6802 (no LTE) or either C6806 or C6833 depending on location and the importance of LTE bands. I have the C6802 since I consider US LTE to be of no importance to me. If I would be in Sweden, I would take the C6833.
The reason for my LTE stance is the fact that decent data plans are cheaper in Sweden than in the US. I don't see any benefits of having 2 GB of LTE data since Internet browsing etc works great on the HSPA+ network of AT&T. I would not start going on Netflix etc with 2 GB of data.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, your post clears up a lot from a technical standpoint. I'd probably go with the C6806 since I live in the US and we have LTE in my areas.
Ended up stumbling upon this, thanks to your post.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2451590
I guess the Sony edition it is.
As a person learning to develop android I would choose the GPe, as a consumer it's 50 / 50.
The Sony stock firmware is quite good and the only thing that lags in 4.4 seems to be the live wallpaper, and blote is a minimum - and usefull.
Unlocking either is exactly the same, the only difference ifs if you want to keep your TA partition (DRM keys). You can only do this on the Sony version by doing the downgrade/root exploit/backup dance.
As for ROMs for the GPe there is CM, Carbon, LiquidSmooth and Slimkat, and I believe that if someone would test the flashable zip I wrote we could convert any (I even think stock) ROM to run on the GPe - but no one wants to have developers making thing for their phone by the looks*
* this could easily develop into a rant so I'll stop there
blueether said:
As a person learning to develop android I would choose the GPe, as a consumer it's 50 / 50.
The Sony stock firmware is quite good and the only thing that lags in 4.4 seems to be the live wallpaper, and blote is a minimum - and usefull.
Unlocking either is exactly the same, the only difference ifs if you want to keep your TA partition (DRM keys). You can only do this on the Sony version by doing the downgrade/root exploit/backup dance.
As for ROMs for the GPe there is CM, Carbon, LiquidSmooth and Slimkat, and I believe that if someone would test the flashable zip I wrote we could convert any (I even think stock) ROM to run on the GPe - but no one wants to have developers making thing for their phone by the looks*
* this could easily develop into a rant so I'll stop there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you're pretty close to making it work for the GP-e, only a matter of time and testers,
I guess I'll lean towards the Sony edition though, since I'll be using it more than developing, though I do play around once and a while.
Slightly astray, but what makes the Google play edition better for learning to develop on android?
nothing really, although I believe it has a much better bootloader/recovery
blueether said:
nothing really, although I believe it has a much better bootloader/recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to confirm
1) if we use the GPE rom on a Sony, will we be able to restore the TA partition and still use the Xperia-specific display enhancements?
2) Even though the partitioning is different, one can flash specific partitions and not the entire ROM, yes? Or are the wires truly crossed: for instance, the bootloader located is in boot?
christcentric said:
Just to confirm
1) if we use the GPE rom on a Sony, will we be able to restore the TA partition and still use the Xperia-specific display enhancements?
2) Even though the partitioning is different, one can flash specific partitions and not the entire ROM, yes? Or are the wires truly crossed: for instance, the bootloader located is in boot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No, we can't restore the partition while on a custom kernel, but we still get the image processing without the DRM keys intact (aka TA partition) on KitKat builds.
The DRM keys are only important to have in case you have to send your device in for repairs.
2. You can flash the GPe ROM on the Xperia Ultra. You can't run a dully functioning stock Sony ROM on the Ultra GPe (yet), due to partitioning issues and what not. You van flash "everything" on the regular Ultra, not on the GPe, which makes the regular Ultra a better device if you plan to flash a lot of ROMs and you want the option to cross-flash between Sony ROMs and GPe (AOSP ROMs).
Bought mine from Sony, best stock firmware I've ever used, of course mod the hell out of it, but I am very pleased
Sent from my C6806 using Tapatalk
I have multiple Bluetooth devices with Apt-X baked in. GPe does not support it, and I don't think that is going to change anytime soon.
So for me, stock is the only option. Not even CM.
I have tried out most of the alternatives, but keep coming back to stock - the audio quality improvement with apt-x is noticeable. Especially while listening to FLAC, using a player like Neutron.
I prefer gpe, because it feel smoother, simpler, less batt consumption. But yes the gpe is very limited at features and option.
billyliem said:
I prefer gpe, because it feel smoother, simpler, less batt consumption. But yes the gpe is very limited at features and option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, but the GPe ROM is available for the stock Xperia Ultra.
LordManhattan said:
Sure, but the GPe ROM is available for the stock Xperia Ultra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i use gpe rom 4.4.4 at my 6802, i like it.smoother than gpe 4.4.2. And more responsive too. How about the price on the hardware? Stock sony vs the gpe? Is it different?
billyliem said:
Yes i use gpe rom 4.4.4 at my 6802, i like it.smoother than gpe 4.4.2. And more responsive too. How about the price on the hardware? Stock sony vs the gpe? Is it different?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
only ~$10 in it
http://www.expansys-usa.com/sony-xperia-z-ultra-c6833-unlocked-lte-16gb-purple-251965/
http://www.expansys-usa.com/sony-z-ultra-google-play-edition-unlocked-lte-16gb-black-263504/
Hell, can even get the GPe in nz now http://www.expansys.co.nz/sony-z-ultra-google-play-edition-unlocked-lte-16gb-black-263504/
Out of all of the devices out there that support LineageOS, the Z5 Compact looks the most appealing to me, because of the good audio quality, nice design/build, and reasonable size.
But is it foolish to purchase a Z5C with the intention of using it to run a custom ROMs?
Are people here using custom ROMs purely as a stopgap until they can get a newer phone that supports Oreo? I don't need or want the latest, greatest hardware, but ever since buying my first smartphone (a Nexus) I've become accustomed to using the latest software. Is the Z5 Compact a dead end in that regard? Or is it likely that I'll be using Android P and Q on this device in the next couple of years?
"But Strobelite, if you're worried about being able to use the latest version of Android, why don't you just get something by Motorola? Those have a healthy, active developer community. Or, you could just be a normal person, and buy a new phone."
If it runs GApps, I won't use it
Audio quality is important to me
The Motorola phones are ugly, in my opinion
Hi, since a few weeks I'm running on LineageOS 14.1 with my z5 Compact and I don't miss the stock rom at all. I didn't test all features yet (e.g. MHL), but I'm very satisfied until now. It's stable (didn't encounter any random reboot), fast and battery life is ok for me (I use Amplify and Greenify with xposed).
I only can recommend this and if you want to run without GApps, this is the way to go. I'm using Yalp store and it's even faster updating my apps than the original Play store.
Phone has FM Radio, SD card slot, fast and accurate GPS and enough power (LOS doesn't seem to run as hot as the stock rom (you can choose between performance profiles), so it's another plus for me).
Just try it and see if it works for you.
The only thing that annoyed me is the camera, the quality is just bad and sometimes it doesn't focus (or too late)
If you dont miss the camera then yes.
Strobelite said:
But is it foolish to purchase a Z5C with the intention of using it to run a custom ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can understand your problem but of course it is imo.
Z5 line has never been widely supported by developers and the Compact is the one with less roms now. You can imagine what kind of future it would have.
Luckily in the past we had great guys who made stock rom root/mods/DRM restoration but the AOSP scene is completely different. As always you lose some features with non-stock roms, usually Camera quality (because you lose closed source vendor optimizations/software) and minor ones.
There will be probably 1 or 2 roms for future android versions (thanks to projects like SLim rom, PAC, Resurrection,...) but there are already few mantainers, especially for the Z5c, and some aosp roms are also unofficially maintained by one person...
Sony lost people (and developers) appeal after the Z3 line and this gets reflected in custom rom support for the newer Xperia lines. If you really want the latest OS on your phone for the next 4 years you should go for something else imo.
Z5c is still great device, refined materials and with good battery but don't expect a forum support like Samsungs, Huaweis,... Unfortunately the old days where flagship phones were < 4,5" are gone.
Maybe you already know it but GSMarena has a great phone-finder search engine which can help you refine your search for compact products.