14 DAY TRIAL // The owners of a Sony Ericsson Xperia arc smartphone on the airwaves of wireless carrier Vodafone Australia can now download and install a new Android OS version on their devices.
This is none other than the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread operating system version that Sony Ericsson started to push out to 2011’s Xperia phones a few weeks ago.
Weighing in at around 180MB, the new software update comes with Baseband Version 4.0.2.A.0.42 and is available to all users both over-the-air, as well as through desktop PCs.
“The update will feature the Gingerbread security fixes, Sony Entertainment Network which gives you access to music and video content for monthly payments, general software improvements and a new keyboard input application that’s similar to Swype,” Vodafone explains in a recent blog post.
For those out of the loop, we should note that there are some appealing new features available for Xperia users as soon as they bring the handsets up to date with the new software. Sony Ericsson announced not too long ago that the main enhancements the new OS upgrade for such devices would include: - Google Talk with Video Chat for smartphones with front-facing cameras - Updated Facebook inside Xperia functionality for enhanced like, share and discover abilities. - Xperia smartphones introducing world’s first 3D Sweep Panorama functionality powered by Sony. - 16x video zoom - The software upgrade will enable consumers to turn their Xperia smartphone into a mini-mobile PC by connecting USB peripherals (mouse, keyboard or game controller) to Sony - Ericsson LiveDock multimedia station. Connect the smartphone to a TV via HDMI to get a big screen experience. - Gesture input – text input by swiping the finger from one letter to the next - WiFi DLNA - Screen capture – allows the user to share a screen grab from anywhere in the phone.
As stated above, Vodafone customers interested in applying the new software update can do so through their handsets, heading to Settings > About phone, and then checking for available updates, or via a computer, on which the PC Sync software was installed.
Before proceeding with the update, users should make sure that the handset has a fully charged battery inside, and that all personal files on the device have been backed up.