Sony may take forever to release a new smartphone, and many of them never reach our shores, but when they do, they are well built and take great photos. Another nice thing about Sony is that they tend to upgrade older model smartphones and the latest three models are the Xperia Z1, Z1 Compact and the Xperia Z Ultra. They are rolling out Android 5.1.1 Lollipop (build number 14.6.A.0.368) for a few regions for each handset, but widespread availability can be expected over the next few days. So far, our source received tips that users on Rogers, Bell and Telus are receiving the update. If you are one of the lucky recipients, please let us know what you think of Lollipop on your Xperia.
The changelog for the Sony Xperia update to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop is fairly extensive and includes such things as improvements to the volume and silent mode control along with more controls over your alerts in a simplified, yet enhanced design. The update will allow you to integrate LinkedIn with your calendar and contacts, and with Instant Calendar Events, you can create and share smart events directly from any email. The Calendar Agenda in email allows you to check upcoming events without switching back and forth between apps. There are a great many business enhancements and new support for Xperia in Business.
There are also changes in the camera area – in the Superior Auto Mode there have been improvements in camera focus, speed and accuracy. You can now use your Sony Smartwatch 3 (SW3) as a remote shutter button to take pictures through your Xperia smartphone. Other areas of improvement are richer Xperia themes, new settings menu icons, and additional options for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in the notifications menu. Importantly, Sony confirmed that this update provides a full fix for the Stagefright exploit. This link to the Sony Xperia Blog will direct you to a list of the FTF firmware files, and they will update the list as more become available for those users that are willing to go that update path. For the less timid, it should only be a few more days before updates are completely out.