14 DAY TRIAL // In the end, Android 2.1 Éclair won't the last platform version that Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 smartphone would taste from its maker, as the company said a while ago, as the handset vendor has just committed to making the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS available for this device too.
The Xperia X10 was launched on shelves last year with Android 1.6 on board, but Sony Ericsson released an upgrade to Android 2.1 for it in late 2010, stating at the time that the device won't be upgraded beyond that platform version.
However, the company has changed its heart on this, and it just announced that it plans on making the newer Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS available for the older device as well (the phone maker introduced four new handsets this year, all powered by Gingerbread).
“We plan to bring an upgrade to Android Gingerbread for the XperiaTM X10 to generic trade kits end Q2 / early Q3 this year,” Sony Ericsson's Rikard Skogberg notes in a recent post on the company's blog.
“We have heard your requests all along but until today have not been able to confirm this. The great work on our 2011 products Xperia PLAY, Xperia arc and Xperia neo actually has enabled us to start the work in a special project bringing Gingerbread to the Xperia X10.”
Just the same as with the prior software update, Sony Ericsson says that it has no plans on updating the Xperia X10 smartphone beyond Gingerbread.
Moreover, unlike the Android 2.1 update, the new Android 2.3 upgrade won't be released for the Xperia X10 mini, mini pro and Xperia X8 handsets, Skogberg continued.
“In short, the intention is that the Xperia X10 will receive similar software and functionality that we have in our new 2011 Xperia smartphones,” the blog post reads.
“The current ambition is to provide the majority of functionality of the Gingerbread platform, as well as the Sony Ericsson specific UI and features that are not restricted by hardware limitations (for example no HDMI out). The final scope of the software is still work in progress but we are working to minimize the differences.”
Specific info on what Xperia X10 users should expect from that software update did not emerge for the time being, but more details should become available as the release date approaches, so stay tuned.