Earlier in the month, it was reported that Sony's firmware was getting certified by North American Cellular Operators forum, PTCRB. Now the company has officially begun rolling out new OS updates to a handful of Xperia devices.
Sony confirmed via its official blog that the new update is currently being pushed to select 2013 devices - Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and Tablet Z and also promised fans that three smartphones- Xperia T2 Ultra, E1 and M2 will get to taste Android's chocolate-wafer flavored OS in July.
According to company's software support page of India, Sony Xperia Z and ZL are the only two devices receiving the new KitKat update, where as the other two devices- Xperia ZR and Tablet Z are showing Android v4.3 Jelly Bean as their latest available software at the time of reporting.
[Note: Since the roll-out process is carried out in phases, it might a take a while for some regions to receive the new update]
To check for the update on the smartphone- Go To
Settings >> About phone >> Build number / version
The new software (build number: 10.5.A.0.230) is said to bring in enhancements to native apps like – Messaging, Email, Smart Social Camera, battery STAMINA Mode and multi-media applications such as WALKMAN, Album and Movies (with Sony Entertainment Network cloud service integration), PlayStation 4 compatibility (as well as same sleek launch animation and livewallpaper across the lock and home screens), and improvements in security, user-interface, performance and more.
Description of key Features of Android v4.4 KitKat OS Update:
Location Menu: This integrated location menu enable users to easily activate GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks, while simultaneously keeping a tab on the battery consumption by the location service based apps.
Enhanced Google Mobile Service (GMS) Apps: This application helps user to automatically back-up photos and video clips. He/she also can create, view, share or rename Google Docs and files.
Improved Caller-ID: If a user receives a call from unknown number, the phone will look for matches on the net with local listings via Google Maps.
Priority Contacts: The new OS empowers the phone to automatically prioritize contact list for easy access, based on the frequency of calls made to a number.
Immersive Display: To enhance the entertainment factor, the new OS comes with immersive mode, where the status bar and navigation buttons disappear in to the background while you play music, games and read e-books. Users can just swipe the edge of the screen to bring back the utility buttons.
Enhanced Message Grouping: Google has brought in some improvements to the new Hangouts app; now, users can find all their text SMSs and MMSs, audio and video call details all at one place. He/she can also share location and send animated GIFs.
Emoji Characters: Initially users had to install third party app to use colorful characters in their SMS. Now, with KitKat update, the keypad comes pre-loaded with native Japanese Emoji emotion icons.
NFC and Wireless Printing: Google's new OS comes with a new Quickoffice app where-in people can create and store word documents in cloud storage as well as print files wirelessly on NFC-enabled HP printers.
Multi-tasking: With efficient memory management, users can multi-task by opening multiple applications; Listen to music while you can browse through the Internet.
Performance: Like all software updates, the new KitKat enhances smartphone's performance as well as efficient RAM management, leading to an increase in battery.
