Some 2011 Sony Xperia phones may taste Jelly Bean after all

A few days back, users of Sony Ericsson handsets got some very disheartening news that none of the 2011 Android handsets would be getting the Jelly Bean update. This meant that it would just be the new Xperia phones with the Sony branding would be eligible for future updates. A Sony spokesperson has now posted an official statement on the company’s official blog stating that it was an error on their part and that announcement wasn’t true. According to the Sony, “We are actively investigating Android OS upgrades for all devices, but in the meantime, our Ice Cream Sandwich rollout for Xperia S and 2011 Xperia smartphones continues as planned.” This means that some phones from last year still have a chance of getting the Jelly Bean update but not all of them.

All Sony Ericsson users, cross your fingers

We can expect some of the high-end phones from 2011 like the Arc S to be on that list. In the meantime, Sony is yet to issue Ice Cream Sandwich updates to its older as well as current phones. Sony’s new releases like the Xperia U, P, S and Sola still run Gingerbread and are lagging behind companies like HTC and Samsung who have already rolled out Ice Cream Sandwich for their flagship models. Sony’s plans of releasing ICS updates for its existing handsets are still going as planned. The rollout for the ICS update was set to take place in a phased manner over the course of several weeks and Sony had stated that all kits for a specific model would not receive the update at the same time. As for the 2012 Xperia phones, UK Product Manager for Sony Mobile, John Cooper said that Sony is still reviewing which handsets are best suited for the Jelly Bean update and that the decision will be announced soon on Sony’s Facebook page.

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These are highlights for Sony’s flagship phone of 2011- the Arc S:

• 4.2 inch display with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi (Hot spot), Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA
• Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0
• GPS with A-GPS support
• 8 megapixel with LED flash
• Stereo FM Radio
• Memory expandable via microSD

Sony has also recently released the ICS update for their Xperia Mini Pro. They had announced the update through a forum post on their Sony Mobile website.
 
Here are some of the specifications of the Xperia Mini Pro:
 

• 3-inch capacitive touchscreen display with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS and Wi-Fi capabilities for net access
• GPS with A-GPS support for Google Maps
• Bluetooth with A2DP and USB 2.0 (Micro)
• 5 MP camera with LED flash and secondary camera up front
• microSD card support for upto 32GB more memory