Yesterday was a big day for Android 5.0, also known as Lollipop. Now, already this morning it seems as though today is going to be an equally big Lollipop day. We have already heard this morning from Cyanogen that their custom ROM version of Lollipop should hit the market (in nightlie form) by the end of the month. Not to mention we also saw this morning suggestions that Android are already working on Android 5.1. Now it is Sony’s time to chime in on todays Lollipop news.
In spite of the Lollipop source code only going live last week, within a matter of days Sony uploaded a video of Lollipop running on the Sony Xperia Z3. This highlighted that Sony were taking their plans to roll-out Lollipop as soon as possible quite seriously. Well, today they are building on that promise. For all you developers and modders out there Sony have this morning made available the AOSP source code for the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z1 Compact. The source code is their source code including all the pre-built software, binaries and build instructions.
Using these resources, developers will be able to work on their own versions of Lollipop for the above mentioned Xperia listed devices. These are the base tools needed for building your own custom ROMs ready to flash. However, it should be noted that Sony do advise that these are not suitable for daily driver use. For instance, Sony admits that the camera is nonfunctional and as such cannot be used to take pictures. In addition, Sony also advise that the modem is not enabled. As a result of this you will not be able to make calls. That said, if you want to get busy working on your own custom ROM for the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z1 or Xperia Z1 Compact, then click here. This link will redirect you to the AOSP for Xperia site where you will find all the links for the resources needed. So, will you be starting on your own Lollipop ROM? Let us know.