When Google released Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in Q4 of last year, most smartphone manufacturers have started rearranging their schedules to accommodate the research and development needed in getting the handsets in their respective lineups updated to the latest iteration of the Android mobile operating system. In fact we saw manufacturer after manufacturer take the center stage in announcing details about the status of their respective development of ICS and the estimated timeframes as to when the update will get rolled out to their handsets.
Sony however did not follow this strategy. The company was almost mum about the status of its ICS development and was not as visible as the other manufacturers in terms of blasting out updates and details. However, Sony one-ups every other manufacturer by managing to release the ICS update for several of its devices in the time frame that it has promised, a feat no other manufacturer has managed to get done, so far.
In fact, Sony has joined the ICS party by releasing the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Sony Xperia Mini Pro last week. The manufacturer is following it up with the ongoing rollout of ICS for the Sony Live with Walkman. Unlike the Sony Xperia Mini Pro though, the support site of the manufacturer where SI numbers of the handset can be checked for availability of the ICS update doesn’t have the SI numbers for the Sony Live with Walkman yet.
However, several readers have already reported that they already managed to get their Sony Live with Walkman handsets upgraded to the latest version of the Android operating system. And unlike the Sony Xperia Mini Pro where you get a notification that lets you know of the update’s availability, there is no such notification that will come up on your Sony Live with Walkman. You can however download the Sony Update Service (SUS) from the official site of Sony and use this nifty, little tool in giving your Sony Live with Walkman its tasty treat of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Users who already managed to get their Sony Live with Walkman handsets upgraded to ICS have attested to the fact that the handset now runs much better compared to when it was still in the Gingerbread generation. All of them agree that the Sony Live with Walkman is now smoother than before and the home screen of the handset does not get reloaded anymore whenever you exit an application. Some also reported that the sensitivity of the touch screen has been improved while others confirmed that applications that were jerky in the past were a lot smoother now with ICS running in the guts of the handset.
With this, heaps of kudos should be thrown to Sony for managing to keep its promise of getting the Sony Live with Walkman upgraded to ICS. And not only that, more commendation should also be given to the manufacturer because it gave the Sony Live with Walkman, a midrange handset, a chance to get a taste of ICS when all other manufacturers are confining the ICS update to their high-end devices.
