Sony Ericsson delivers Xperia X10's Android 2.3 update
updated 05:25 pm EDT, Tue July 26, 2011
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android 2.3 up at last
After some delays, Sony Ericsson on Tuesday posted an Android 2.3 update for the Xperia X10. The upgrade so far has to go over a wired link using Sony Ericsson's own desktop software. It's not clear that every carrier's variant will work, and it may rely on having an X10 with Sony Ericsson's stock OS.
The patch brings Facebook integration into the calendar, contacts, and media apps. Owners can also tether over USB or make a Wi-Fi hotspot if their carrier allows. App access gets quicker with app tray sorting and a photos widget that takes users in quickly to the photo gallery.
Some drawbacks exist. Key data stored on the phone's internal memory, such as contacts, will be wiped out and will only come back it's synced with Google. Sony Ericsson's own backup system will turn off and require third-party apps as replacements. Preloaded games will go away, and the update removes Exchange and Mediascape features that haven't carried on to the new interface.
The X10 is one of the older phones on the market to get an Android 2.3 update and mirrors Sony Ericsson's pledge to fix its slow Android updating from last year. It originally started on 1.6 at a time when 2.1 was already on the market and took much of 2010 to get to 2.1, skipping 2.2 entirely. Outside of Google itself, Sony Ericsson was one of the first to ship an Android phone with 2.3 from the start.
