Sony Mobile starts pushing the Android 4.0 ICS update to the Xperia S

Sony Mobile has officially started pushing the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to the Xperia S. For those who owns a Sony Xperia S, then this is the day you will be very excited about. Finally, the smartphone gets what it should have been running on the day it was announced. Regardless, the good news is that it is finally coming. The update brings in three new apps into the device namely the "Walkman", "Album", and "Movies" applications. These applications will be further explained in the official presser and in the video that I will be posting on this blog post.

Of course, since this update will bring your Xperia S device up to Android 4.0 it will also sport the latest and newest features the platform has like face unlock, improved lock screen, resizable widgets, mobile data consumption control, and recent apps.

Sony is making the update available over the air either via WiFi or while connected to your carrier's mobile data. But you can also update your devices via a computer either using the PC Companion or via the web-based Xperia Update. Everyone using an Xperia S will be notified if the update is ready for them. Aside from the new things you will be getting by updating, Sony Mobile also posted on YouTube a step-by-step run through on how to update your Xperia S.

Press Release:

Latest software upgrade rollout starts for Xperia™ S – introducing new media applications and uplift to Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich

Hello everyone,

Today, we bring you some exciting news! As planned, we’re now starting our software rollout for Xperia S including, Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 upgrade and new unique media applications.

First off, we’re excited to introduce a completely new way to experience your media – your music, images, videos, movies and films – with our new “WALKMAN”, “Album” and “Movies” applications:

• The “WALKMAN” application blends the best of signature Sony audio technology with social features; to discover the music your friends like and share personal favorites. Facebook integration gives you a visual way to interact with content – accessing album art, artist images and information, directly from Gracenote®
• The “Album” application brings new intuitive ways to sort and browse high quality photos and videos in blazing speed, as well as providing instant viewing, commenting and sharing of photos on Facebook and other online albums, leveraging the great camera capabilities of Xperia S
• The “Movies” application streamlines the playback and viewing of movies in high quality audio and video, whilst using intelligent database search to grab movie posters and information for a richer experience

And now for the software upgrade to Android version 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich– some of the cool features you can look forward to are:

• Lock screen with improved functionality
• Resizable widgets (improved personalization)
• Improved control of your mobile data consumption
• Recent Apps button for clear overview of your applications

Be sure to check out our video above for a look at some of this new functionality!

The update will be directly accessible in your phone over mobile networks and WiFi, but also with the option of upgrading using a computer – either with our web-based Xperia Update, PC Companion or Bridge for Mac.

If you’d like or need help on installing the software, we’ve pulled together a step-by-step run through video on our Xperia support YouTube channel.

All Xperia S users will get a notification when the upgrade is ready, but direct availability in the phone may vary across different carriers.

It’s also worth noting that the software package required for download is around 200MB, so you might want to consider using WiFi, if directly upgrading from your Xperia S.

The rollout will continue over the next few weeks* and as usual, we will continue to keep you up-to-date with our progress, handling as much of your feedback along the way as possible.

Just as before, you’ll also be able to see the released software kits (customized software specific to your operator) on our support community; http://talk.sonymobile.com – please continue to check in if yours is not yet listed, as it’ll be updated when new kits become available.

I’ve enjoyed getting to grips with my Xperia S over the past few weeks and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to taste this sweet software treat

Talk soon,

Ant.

*The availability and scheduling of this software upgrade will vary by market and carrier requirements

-end-

Source: Sony Xperia Product Blog

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