14 DAY TRIAL // One day after HTC released the Ice Cream Sandwich kernel source for Sensation, Sensation XE and Vivid, another handset published a similar open source archive.
Samsung has recently made a similar move and released the Android 4.0 source code for the popular Galaxy S II.
Today, it’s Sony Mobile’s turn to offer developers something that they can use to improve Google’s mobile platform.
In this regard, the Japanese handset maker has just announced on its developer site that availability of Xperia S open source archive, which also includes building instructions for custom ROM developers.
This open source archive contains useful files that greatly help developers build a Linux kernel. The company states that this is the first time it publishes a source code for a device that is equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S3 platform.
Because of this, those who wish to flash this software will have to run a script and complete additional steps that Sony describes on its developer site.
According to Sony, developers who wish to build their own custom ROMs with the help of the files contained in Xperia S open source archive will have to add a proprietary firmware file to their kernel.
This can be easily done by using the script that we mentioned earlier, which is provided by Sony. It appears that this script creates an image that can be flashed into Xperia S. Keep in mind that this script was specifically created for Xperia S and might not work on other devices.
Obviously, this is a mandatory requirement, or otherwise devs won’t be able to flash their custom software on Sony Xperia S.
All the necessary tools to build your own Linux kernel are available for download at Sony’s developer site, including in-depth explanation and step-by-step guides on how to create your own ROM for Xperia S.