14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, Sony announced the availability of Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich for its Xperia sola devices, and the first bits have already landed on handsets, users report.
Smartphones should see the 6.1.1.B.1.10 firmware update available for them around the world in the near future, with a nice set of enhancements packed inside, including some aimed at the phone’s touch capabilities.
According to a post on XperiaBlog, the update is currently being deployed on handsets in Indonesia, India, Philippines and Greece, yet more countries should receive it soon.
Among the changes that the new platform upgrade brings to this smartphone, one stands up in the crowd, providing users with the possibility to operate the device even when they have their gloves on, as can be seen in the video below.
“With the new Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update for Xperia sola, you’ll find a new feature called glove mode, which is an extension of the Floating touch technology. As you might guess, this makes it possible to use the touch screen even though you’re wearing gloves,” Sony explains in a blog post.
Xperia sola was unveiled to the world with a brand new technology packed inside, namely Floating touch, and the new feature is based on that.
“This technology lets you highlight the links in the web browser without even touching the screen. Now, with the Xperia sola ICS update, you’ll find a new extension of Floating touch, called glove mode, which lets you use your Xperia sola with your gloves on,” Sony continues.
According to Andreas Sandblad, software architect at Sony and inventor of glove mode, the idea popped up during a brainstorming session in which features for the use of Floating touch were discussed.
“I’m much of an outdoor person myself, who likes to hike in the mountains, and I guess I was trying to solve the frustrating real world problem of not being able to use my phone with gloves. Turns out other people felt the same thing, and here we are. I really think glove mode is a must have,” he says.
Those who would like to keep an eye out on the deployment of Ice Cream Sandwich for Xperia sola should head over to this thread on the XDA-Developers forum.
