It is always nice to see an OEM stick to their promises. Just over a month ago Sony’s blog announced that the Sony Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and Xperia Tablet Z would all be getting Android 4.4 in May. Well, May is here and 3/4 of the way over and Sony has announced that the update is finally starting to roll out.
On Sony’s blog they outline that the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the devices named above has started today for select markets with more to follow in coming weeks. The update brings in all the usual Android 4.4 goods and fixes that you might have been watching everyone else enjoy. It also offers up a revamped Status Bar and Quick Settings panel.
-
As you might expect, we’re also uplifting Sony’s entire native app portfolio to the latest versions bringing tweaked / improved / current experiences for one and all… some of our favourites look like:
-
Messaging – a few UI adjustments here & there, including a slicker “send†animation, and deeper Emoji support for some expressive fun… also worth noting, you’ll find smileys wherever there’s an app with a keyboard
-
-
Email – you’ll be able to both load and see more mails… but don’t fret, navigation of said load is easier with a more responsive viewing pane – split screen modes divide info for easy digest… especially useful / works a treat on Xperia Tablet Z
-
Smart Social Camera – our social imaging experience makes its debut on our first Z Series devices; a selection of Xperia Camera apps directly accessible from your viewfinder… including personal favourite “Creative Effectâ€, and more for download to boot!
-
Battery STAMINA Mode – level-upping our unique power management feature, bringing smarter data management & more for prolonging your juice.
The WALKMAN and Album and Movies media apps are also getting an updated UI and are integrated into the Sony Entertainment Network cloud service with better download speeds and more. The update also makes the slightly older devices compatible with the SmartWare Experience SmartBand SWR10 and Lifelog App.
Unfortunately Sony doesn’t lay down the planned locales and regions for us, but we do know the above image is from the update that Robert just installed this morning in Sweden. It is unclear if the T-Mobile variant of the Xperia Z will be picking this update up or not. The current Xperia Z1s on the network is still sitting on Android 4.3, so I would imagine they would want to start there if they do anything at all.
Any devices owners out there seeing the update? Did you pull it from the PC companion app or via OTA, and where are you located?
Via Sony Blog
