Now when I’m back home I’ve had some time to go through all of the comments we’ve got during the week.
First of all – thanks for your engagement! That’s what I’m here for and your feedback is very important to us.
As I’ve said many times before I assure you that your feedback from here, even when I don’t have straight out answers for you, is always forwarded and does have an impact on our development!
So here are some of the most frequently asked questions during the week. (there are some more questions I saw where I don’t have full answers yet but I’ll keep chasing!)
Q: Why is my comment not showing up? Are you censoring the comments section?
A: There’s two different things at play here. First of all because of the traffic load on this blog we have had to add a caching scheme also for the comments section. This means that it might take up to 10 minutes until your comment is visible. Secondly we have a spam filter. (you wouldn’t believe the amount of spam that hits popular word press based blogs these days) The spam filter usually does a very good job in removing “true” spam generated by bots etc. However it also from time to time unfortunately blocks out legit comments. I do try to keep up with the spam folder but sometimes because of the huge amount of spam I miss some comments. We also are on the corporate .com domain of our company so sometimes we also need to actively remove some comments due to bad language, personal attacks or similar. We don’t ever actively remove comments just for being negative or ciritical.
Q: Are you working on Android 2.2 or Android 2.3 for the 2010 products.
A: No – as explained earlier we currently don’t plan to upgrade the 2010 products to Android versions beyond 2.1
Q: Why hasn’t my “kit” gotten the 2.1 update yet? When will it come?
A: We still have a few kits (currently 13 for e.g. the X10) where we still are working with our operator partner on getting the software ready and approved. I don’t have the details on the ongoing work for them but I assure you that we are working on it. The reason for this is as explained earlier that different operators and markets have different customizations and therefore needs to be worked on until we agree with our partner that it’s ready for release.
Q: Wasn’t DLNA supposed to be in the latest update for Xperia X10?
A: That was our plan, as stated here back in May last year. However lots of things has changed since then like splitting the update into two parts, changes to timing, adding Pinch Zoom touch etc. One of the consequences of all those changes was unfortunately that DLNA had to be de-scoped. I know that there are 3rd party apps available that enables DLNA though so hopefully you can enjoy one of those.
Q: When will these new products be available?
A: Availability will vary between markets but as a global general statement the Xperia™ arc, Xperia™ neo and Xperia™ PLAY are planned to hit the first shelves before March is over and the Xperia™ pro is planned to launch during Q2 this year.
Q: I’ve seen YouTube videos where your new phones seem to suffer in performance and some sample pictures that don’t seem to have the quality they should, are those final?
A: No – in preparing for the launch of our phones we have frequent releases of new internal test software and there are also different hardware revisions on the way up until launch. Lots of optimization is done late in the process and the release version will be optimized in many aspects.
Q: Do your new products have an included office document editor?
A: Our plan is the following: One of them does – the Xperia™ pro has OfficeSuite pro which enables creation and editing of common office document formats. The Xperia™ arc, Xperia™ neo and Xperia™ PLAY are planned to have OfficeSuite in a lighter version that enables opening and viewing documents but not creation or editing. The pre-loaded applications can however differ between markets and operator customizations. So this is the planned standard content but the phone you buy might be different!
Q: Do any of your newly announced phones have MHL?
A: No – The Xperia™ arc, Xperia™ neo and Xperia™ pro do have a micro-HDMI connector though.
Q: What Android version will these new producs launch on? There are rumors of Android 2.4 already!
A: The Xperia™ arc, Xperia™ neo and Xperia™ PLAY will launch on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the latest version of Android for smartphones. Going into detailed sub-versions they will launch on Android 2.3.2 and our current plan is to update them 2.3.3 quite shortly after launch. The differences between 2.3.2 and 2.3.3 really are minor though and mostly tied to NFC functionality which these products does not have the chipsets for. Therefore it shouldn’t represent any big feature step-ups in our products. There is no such thing as Android 2.4 announced by Google yet so we can’t really comment on those rumors.
Q: Why do you lock the boot loader of your devices? Isn’t Android supposed to be open source?
A: Yes, Android is an open source platform. Anyone can download it, modify it to their liking and install it on hardware they have designed. A mobile device is much more than the operating system. In our phones there are functionality that have to be secure such as SIM-lock and DRM. We currently don’t have a solution in place to secure that while opening the bootloader and therefore it would break legal agreements with many of our partners if we do.”
Q: I’ve seen that some of the new products have a second microphone on the back. What is it used for?
A: It is used for noise suppression during phone calls. I’ve seen your questions about stereo recording for video recording and have forwarded your request for potential future updates.
Q:Why doesn’t Xperia™ PLAY have HDMI out while the other new products do?
A: Designing a smartphone is all about focus and balance. We have prioritized a truly immersive gaming experience in Xperia™ PLAY. In order to deliver this we had to make some priorities, particularly regarding the HDMI connector the physical design would have had to change which would have had an impact on the gaming experience.
Q: Which of your new phones have a front facing camera?
A: Xperia™ neo, Xperia™ pro and Xperia™ PLAY have a front facing camera while the The Xperia™ arc does not. For the Xperia™ arc we chose to not accept any compromise regarding design and slimness to really create an iconic product. Fitting a front facing camera within those targets just wasn’t possible.
So that were some of the questions I found – keep ‘em coming!
By A_A
25th February 2011.
13:32
Will there be any more updates in general for the X10 Xperia? (not just Android version updates, any type of update) We were told the multi-touch update would be seperate to the UXP update, but it now appears that they are one and the same.
1 
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By Filippe Domenico
25th February 2011.
13:41
Thanks Rikard!
I will buy my Xperia Arc 
I hope this new politic of upgrade work!
Thanks!
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By asdf
25th February 2011.
13:43
>Q: Are you working on Android 2.2 or Android 2.3 for the 2010 roducts.
>A: No – as explained earlier we currently don’t plan to upgrade the >2010 products to Android versions beyond 2.1
Shame on you SE!
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By Shade
25th February 2011.
13:44
Why none of them has a Dual core procesor?
Have you learned from your mistakes from the X10 family?
Will the “care and attention” will be focused on the Xperia Play or will they be equally “loved”? (UPDATES) XD
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By Márcio
25th February 2011.
14:00
Will we (x10) get Mediascape / new Timescape widgets?
Since the last update, Timescape widget says “Timescape (simple)”, will we get a “enhanced” or similar?
There will be new improvements on mediascape? Like pinch-to-zoom on images?
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By David
25th February 2011.
15:05
“No – as explained earlier we currently don’t plan to upgrade the 2010 products to Android versions beyond 2.1″
.
Most (read: all) other companies continue to support their customers for the length of their expensive device’s life, or at least the mobile contract. HTC Magic – released April 2009, now on FroYo. Acer Liquid, now on FroYo. The list goes on and on.
.
Then we reach SonyEricsson. Unwilling to support customers paying for an expensive ‘flagship’ device even to the end of the manufacturer’s warranty, with hardware more capable than most of the others. And also unwilling to allow others to do the work for them by unlocking the bootloader.
.
Pathetic.
.
This débacle of broken promises and slipped dates – DLNA being just the latest dropped feature – marks my last SE device (and I suspect also for many others), having been a long-time SE purchaser.
.
Shame on you, SE.
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By Pakr
25th February 2011.
15:39
From the mouth of Steven Walker:
We have recognised the need to have our products on the latest release. Last year we didn’t anticipate the strength of feeling that consumers would have towards the Android release.
——————————————-
How is it then that you will not update all the Xperia phones to 2.3?
Why would not we (we, as in your existing customers) who have already purchased one of your phones be interested in an update to 2,2/2,3?
You promised us two years of updates and support.
You gave us seven months. Is this how you run a business?
You write further that you currently don’t plan to update us to 2,2 / 2,3;
how much more protests and disgust with S.E. do you need before you have to realize that you have made a huge mistake?, and when can you possibly have changed your mind on the update matter?
You already have a 2.3 version to your new phones,
it can’t take many days for your developers to port it so it works with other Xperia handsets. That should be your top priority right now!
Android is a new OS and is at this point were depending on the updates. Not that you think your 2.1 is the best ever made. We are many who believe that to get the most and the best out of your phone an update necessary.
You lied not only about two years of updates, but also about implementing DLNA support.
What else have you lied about, and what will you lie on to future customers?
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By Wael Faddah
25th February 2011.
15:45
In the xperia x10 i have noticed that every time i play an HD video i have taken with my phone is very sluggish and freezes a lot although the sound of that video is smooth…. has that been taken care of in the ARC?
Also, what is the battery life difference between the NEO and the ARC? as the ARC has A bigger screen, perhaps it consumes more battery. any comment?
whats the deal with SWYPE? Is SE making any effort bringing SWYPE to the platform?
What about the Exchange server application? a preloaded one? One of the most painful things that we as customers have suffered is getting stuck with preloaded application without any luck of being able to update them, has SE paid attention to that point? Moxier was terrible until the last two updates (6 months after i have purchased the x10a)
There is no coloration between PS3 and SE products, i tried to transfer some videos i happen to capture on my x10 cam, but PS3 insisted that all files are not supported, is SE going to do something about that? Perhaps an app for the PS3 that would make it SE friendly?
What about SE and power-mat? any chance we might see products for wireless charging?
As for the ARC Screen, how tough is that screen?, Galaxy s ii announced that they are using gorilla screens, what about SE? the phone does look delicate and seems with some prices floating around it is going to be expansive! tell me more about the screen, please.
Thank you
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By Moacyr
25th February 2011.
15:54
It’s a great pity that Xperia Arc comes from such an irresponsible company as Sony Ericsson. You promise new features, updates to improve the performance, but all you deliver are delayed updates, 7 months of development of a flagship device and many support employees misinforming customers. Do you really hope to keep at least a healthy reputation? Take back what you said about no more Android upgrades on your X10 product line (we see a lot of “alternative” ROMs running Android 2.2 and even 2.3 on X10, and they do perform better (much better, sometimes) than your 2.1+UXP). With all the lies that you put out for your first android device, I can assure you: not updating Android platform is the final sign that I need to not buy any Sony Ericsson device for now on. And you can rest assured that many others think the same way I do, and I’ll try very hard to convince everybody I know to not buy a Sony Ericsson handset. As others said: SHAME ON YOU!
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By Mikael Berg
25th February 2011.
16:04
Will Sony Ericsson only focus on Android for the time being, or are there any plans on Windows Phone? I hope you’ll get one out by the end of the year..!
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By Rahi Azizi
25th February 2011.
16:13
I am a fan of SONY products, but I hate SONY’s failling strategy on product classification and poor attitude on customer support. And, never buy any SE cell phones at
CHINA mainland, cause the phone there is the most expensive one on earth and with the least function & service meantime…
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By Pavel
25th February 2011.
16:25
I’m dreaming of an Xperia Walkman for some time now. Also there are almost no music centered phones with the Android. When does SE plan on making such a phone? Is it even being considered?
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By Kordo
25th February 2011.
16:37
Rikard but we want our Android 2.2 to Xperience the 2010th
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By Peter
25th February 2011.
16:50
@Kordo and I want a million dollars…..waiting…waiting.
They said 423534 times they aren’t doing it. They never promised or said they would.
You are the same 125 ppl that are running around online bitching. Just like the 125 ppl for Nokia, Samsung, etc that are doing the same thing for those companies.
You’ve created some unreal expectation and are going crazy about it.
I think the only reason ppl wanted 2.1 is for Angry Birds, and with 2.2 its flash to watch adult videos. Seriously, the ppl that actually “need” it for a legit purpose are .01%.
/rant
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By Freddy
25th February 2011.
16:56
you saw this commentator ” VeibraSceride ” is a site that sells Viagra, you can remove
.
I’m very happy because most Sony Ericsson phones have a front camera, I actually expect a XPeria with 16.2mp Sony Exmor R and dual-core processor and video-HD 1080p 
. 
No doubt this new Xperia-2011 series will have many sales
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By Freddy
25th February 2011.
17:13
No doubt the Xperia Update-2010 will continue to generate bad publicity. Is very sad that this happens. we can find a solution.
.
-You can propose a contest. The guys at XDA
may secure an excellent ROM After S.E. place the camdrivers
.
-Also, is probable that the ARC-ROM run on X10
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By Mick
25th February 2011.
17:24
“Q: Are you working on Android 2.2 or Android 2.3 for the 2010 products.
A: No – as explained earlier we currently don’t plan to upgrade the 2010 products to Android versions beyond 2.1″
OK yes, but why? Is not because is not possible, the guys over XDA almost have a fully working Froyo (and without the bootloader and other resources that you have), so is because you don’t want to, you abandoned the customers of your 2010 flagship product so you can scam on new ones, good one. At least tell the truth, please.
By the way see the results of this poll…
http://www.xperiax10.net/2011/02/23/who-uses-timescape-on-a-daily-basis-poll/
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By Alex
25th February 2011.
17:34
When watching this video of the Xperia pro: youtube.com/watch?v=E5gsJXTBH2A
I noticed that you could actually change the “theme colour” on the phone. From standard blue to red, yellow, green and so on.
Will this feature be implemented into the other 2011 phones (arc, neo, play)?
Also wondering why the micro-usb on Xperia arc doesn’t look like a standard micro-usb port. Are SE planning on releasing a Xperia arc “dock?
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By Jean
25th February 2011.
17:41
So, the 2010 products won’t get Android 2.2+. Big deal. The phones work with 2.1.
If you really think that other manufactures do a better job on keeping their OS up to date just buy one and go on with your lives. Maybe next time you buy a phone you check the facts and don’t assume so much.
/Jean
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By Shankar
25th February 2011.
17:45
Dear SE,
“Q: Are you working on Android 2.2 or Android 2.3 for the 2010 products.
A: No – as explained earlier we currently don’t plan to upgrade the 2010 products to Android versions beyond 2.1″
I see you quite clearly DO NOT CARE about those who bought your “flagship” product. Thank you for making sure that us 2010 Xperia Owners will NEVER be able to officially have more than 200 Megabytes of space to install our apps. Thank you for making us waste money on phones and large memory cards and then betraying by making sure we can no longer use our SD cards for apps
Oh, and about your repeated answers saying: “2.2 and above doesn’t increase the user experience enough” for the 2010 products (Of course, you always seem to avoid the question of how EXACTLY you arrived at that decision, but that’s another story!): Thank you for taking our money, promising us updates and then stabbing us in the back!
And I’m sure you’ll keep saying that “We will provide system updates to you guys, so don’t worry!”. Well, every time you say that it makes me feel like you’re just releasing these “system” updates out of pity on us because we all got fooled by your sales talk and bought the phones that got outdated 6 months after their release!
Once again, thank you for betraying us…
Yours Truly,
A Pissed off Xperia X8 owner.
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