Although Sony Ericsson had never confirmed the release date for the updated version of the Android operating system used on it’s Xperia X10 hansdets, the company has now moved to announce on it’s official blog that the update is not imminent and will not arrive before October 2010.

The Xperia X10, the Xperia X10 Mini and the X10 Mini Pro all run on the Android operating system currently and are using the 1.6 version of the Google OS. Whilst other handset manufacturers have pushed out their mobile phones with Android 2.1 or 2.2, the Xperia range has sadly been left behind by the reluctance of Sony Ericsson to update the firmware to a firmware that many users desire greatly. Sony Ericsson have never actually explained why there is such a delay to update and the latest announcement could see some Xperia users leave their Sony Ericsson handsets behind and move on to brands such as Samsung, HTC and Apple.

Running on an outdated firmware such as 1.6 Android is slowing the development of Android applications and games for the Xperia range and with the upcoming release of another Xperia handset, in the form of the Xperia X8, the Xperia phone range is left unable to play many games and applications available on the Android market because many applications are created with 2.1 or 2.2 compatibility in mind. This is a shame for Xperia owners who paid a healthy sum for their handsets and are struggling to get the best use out of their phones.

Hopefully Sony Ericsson are a big enough company, with enough care about their customers to resolve the updating issue sooner rather than later. They certainly aren’t a company that lets their customers down regularly so fingers crossed that Android 2.1 arrives soon.

Official SE blog

Sony Ericsson is having a real tough time with their security. Details about upcoming handsets have been leaked recently and this time it’s the Sony Ericsson “Julie”.

The Julie is reportedly a Windows Phone 7 device. It is rumored to look somewhat like the Xperia X10. The phone will sport a QWERTY keypad and is likely to support multi touch gestures. It will mostly be powered by a 1GHz processor and rumor is that it will feature a 4″ multi touch capable display too, something the Xperia X10 range is sadly lacking.

Because the handset could be running the Windows 7 OS platform, this also means it should feature built in support for Xbox Live integration which, if true, would be in direct competition with Sony’s own PlayStation network, so perhaps there are plans for a PSN integration at some point too.

No other details or images of the “Julie” are available currently. The phone which is still under development will most probably hit stores late this year or early next year.

Source

What look to be ‘Official’ photos have emerged of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8, also known as Shakira, over on the se-nse blog.

Although exact specifications of the newest incarnation of Sony Ericsson smartphones haven’t been released yet, it appears that the Xperia X8 is, as expected, a cross between the full sized Xperia X10 and the smaller X10 Mini, sitting in the middle of those sized phones. It has been noted that there doesnt seem to be any flash for the camera on the X8 which would be disappointing but again, until specs are released by Sony Ericsson we can’t confirm that.

The Xperia X8 is expected to be released later in the year and we will bring you more information on the handset as it is released.

Following on from the Satio finally being made available in the US from the Sony Style store, the Xperia X2 is now up for pre-order. With the X10 already released in some countries though and the US very soon, could it be too late for the X2? The Xperia X2 features similar specs of the X10 except the main difference is the X2 is powered by Windows Mobile instead of Android. The X2 is loaded with Windows Mobile 6.5 which is an upgrade from the X1. Windows Mobile 7 isn’t on the cards for the handset either.

The Xperia has got a release date thanks to Play.com. You can now pre-order the handset from Play, who state the release date is January 29th. The RRP for the handset is £549.99 but, with Play it’ll cost £50 less at £499.99. While over on the Vodafone store, the Xperia X2 page has mysteriously disappeared. Instead you are greeted with a page not found page.