Microsoft Office is coming pre-installed on select Android Tablets
Microsoft has been mighty busy today. Earlier today, it was announced that Microsoft would be bringing Cortana to both iOS and Android, as well as the addition of a Phone Companion app for Windows 10 and the ability to stream music from OneDrive account via an updated Xbox Music application. Well now, Microsoft has announced that the suite of Microsoft Office applications will be pre-installed on select Android tablets.
Here is a list of the manufacturers of the tablets that have agreed to include Microsoft Office pre-installled are:
- Axdia International GMBH – Germany
- Cube – China
- DL – Brazil
- General Procurement – United States
- Grupo Nucleo – Argentina
- Haier – China
- Inco – Mexico
- Ionik GBMH – Germany
- Iview – United States and Latam
- LG – Global
- Multilaser – Brazil
- Noblex – Argentina
- Pacific (Vulcan) – Mexico
- Philco – Argentina
- Positivo – Brazil
- Prestigio – EMEA
- Sony – Global
- Teclast – China
- TMAX Digital – North America
- Wortmannn – Germany
It’s also worth noting that Microsoft stated that the Microsoft Office suite WILL be available on a new LG tablet and Sony’s Xperia Z4 in the next 90 days. of course the specific tablet wasn’t mentioned, but there’s a little insight into what we can expect from LG in the coming weeks or months.
In March, we made access to Microsoft apps and services on mobile devices easier for customers by announcing strategic agreements with global OEMs Samsung and Dell, eight regional OEMs and top original device manufacturer Pegatron to pre-install Microsoft Office and Skype on Android tablets. Today I’m excited to announce that 20 additional global and local OEM partners, including LG, Sony, Haier, Positivo and Wortman, will make Microsoft productivity applications and services available on their Android tablets. These 31 partners will offer Android tablets pre-installed with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype in the near future. They will be available on a new LG tablet, and Sony will include them on their Xperia Z4 tablet in the next 90 days.
What are your thoughts on Microsoft Office being pre-installed on select Android tablets? Let us know in the comments below.
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Microsoft, Sony drop out of top 10 smartphone manufacturers in Q1
While Samsung stood tall as the top smartphone manufacturer in the first quarter of 2015, both Microsoft and Sony dropped out of the top ten rankings, according to former Nokia executive and market analyst Tomi Ahonen.
Samsung shipped 82.8 million devices in Q1, holding a whopping 24.3 percent market share. Apple held a 18 percent share, with Lenovo, Huawei and LG finishing the top five, with 5.5, 5.1 and 4.5 percent shares respectively.
Microsoft and Sony will look to rebound this quarter, especially as Microsoft prepares to release Windows 10 for its smartphones and tablets.
Source: Communities Dominate Brands
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Sony launches Xperia Z3+ with 1080p display, Snapdragon 810 SoC & 5MP front camera
Do you remember the Xperia Z4, the flagship device that Sony announced in Japan last month? Well, it turns out that Sony has decided to call its global version – the Xperia Z3+, and quite aptly so as the handset looks like a carbon copy of its predecessor.
While it may have the same Omni-Balance design as the Xperia Z3, the specifications of the Xperia Z3+ definitely make it capable enough to take on top-notch flagship devices launched this year. Talking of which, the Xperia Z3+ features a 1080p display, a 64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB expandable storage. In the imaging department, it sports a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, which is an upgrade from the 2.1-megapixel of the Xperia Z3. The primary snapper is still a 20.7-megapixel one. It comes preloaded with Android 5.0 Lollipop and runs on a 2,930 mAh battery. Connectivity options include 4G/LTE Cat 6 (<300Mbps), Wi-Fi (<862Mbps) and what’s more – the device even has a dual SIM variant.
Available in Copper, Black, White and Aqua Green colors, the Xperia Z3+ is quite slim at 6.7mm. Although its USB port has lost its awkward cap, Sony has maintained that it will still be a water and dust proof device.
There is no word on the pricing of the device as yet, but it is expected to be up for grabs sometime later this summer. Its launch timing has placed it directly in competition against the Samsung Galaxy S6, the LG G4 and HTC’s One M9.
Source: Sony Mobile
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‘Mad Max’ the game lacks the charm and detail of ‘Fury Road’
Like any Mad Max fan thrilled by the film Fury Road, I approached Avalanche Studios’ new video game translation hoping to find echoes of the film’s anarchic spirit. And while the full game may deliver — we won’t know until review time — the current demo feels more like a mundane snapshot of Max’s offscreen life in that post-apocalyptic world than an adrenaline shot from Fury Road. Mad Max, due out this fall for PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One, just doesn’t have the same level of enervating detail.
It couldn’t, though! Fury Road is a two-hour movie, while Mad Max is an open-world video game a la Grand Theft Auto that can be played for much longer. Fury Road‘s greatest strength is its specificity and that’s something Avalanche couldn’t possibly match. Every frame, every second of the blockbuster film’s full of fittingly mad detail. Take, for example, sinister despot Immortan Joe and his altars of individually designed steering wheels: each one fitted to a different car; each car fitted to a specific War Boy.
Mad Max is not lacking in the series’ ridiculous car fights.
Both new Mad Max entries sport similarities: The film and game share the same heroes and villains; they share the same physical components of action like crazy battle cars and mean fistfights. But the game requires variety on a scale the movie doesn’t. The movie’s heart is in its individual, spectacular stunts that last only a few minutes, whereas the game needs to give players a huge desert wasteland to explore at leisure, full of specific missions to complete. Otherwise, why would people play it for a dozen or more hours?
In the “Magnum Opus” demo I played at a pre-E3 event, much of the gameplay revolves around scavenging for spare parts and scrap metal to customize Max’s war car. As you drive around the game’s desert and canyons — the looks of which impressively evoke George Miller’s world even if they don’t quite match the fidelity of other WB games like Batman: Arkham Knight and Shadow of Mordor — you find fortresses and hideouts, and get in many fights with other cars and survivors. It’s these battles that reward you with new car parts.
On the road, Mad Max feels as desperate as it should.
Those fights, at the very least, feel pretty awesome. My jalopy, kitted out with some stock parts provided at the beginning of the demo, looked like a bruiser straight out of an Ed Roth Rat Fink trading card. It rumbled as I tore over the flat roads in the sandy wasteland, and when going off-road to outrun attacks from enemy cars, it chugged. On the road, Mad Max feels as desperate as it should; resources are used up quickly and you have to be smart in how you use them. When I had ammo to fight back, I could blast the baddies with explosives or flamethrowers, but my bombs were in short supply and the flames used up precious fuel. I could collect more of both, sure, but only if I could find them on felled enemies or in some rough shanty.
Unlike the lonely wasteland of the movies, Max is always meeting new people in the game.
That driving desperation is profoundly affecting, and it’s something that’s helped Max’s world endure these past few decades. He’s a lone, honorable toughie driven to survive on his own in a dying world! In the game, though, that stoical badassery doesn’t last. One thing that dilutes the Mad Max-ness of your trip is Chumbucket, Max’s scavenger partner who goes everywhere with him in the demo. Chum functions as both comic relief and Mr. Fix It, repairing your car if you need it and endlessly commenting on what’s happening. But by my third random fight against roadsters, I just wanted to abandon him out in the desert so he’d stop with the incessant quips. [I’m trying to have a lone adventure here. Mad Max needs to keep it down to maintain the flow.]
The thrill of the open, and lonely road also fades a bit when Max gets out of his car. When you’re driving around, running away from marauding convoys, it feels like you can do anything as long as your car doesn’t explode. When you get out of it and start throwing punches against Scrotus’ armies (Yes, as in all Max stories, the big, bad evil guy has an absurd name), Max feels slow and trapped in the landscape. Fighting Scrotus involves taking out other smaller warlords in their ramshackle fortresses and weakening his overall power, then stealing their resources to power up yourself and your car. Drive up to a base, wrench off its doors with a harpoon attached to your car and then wander in and just beat up all the War Boys inside.
The thrill of the open, and lonely road also fades a bit when Max gets out of his car.
Speaking of which, the War Boys are about as varied as those in a ’90s arcade game like Final Fight. Some I fought were bald and pasty just like the War Boys in Fury Road, but the ones employed by old Stank Gum (the warlords are at least awesomely named) were purple. Why? Just to differentiate themselves from the other, nearly identical thugs from before. Max beats them up with a combination of heavy punches and “fury” finishing moves. The brawling’s repetitive, but ultimately satisfying, which isn’t surprising as it mimics the flow of the fights in WB’s Batman: Arkham City and Shadow of Mordor identically.
Is it a bad thing that WB seems to have a house style for these games? Not necessarily. Mad Max is especially well-suited to the Arkham City-style open world structure that sends you around collecting stuff and beating people up. Amusing as it can be at times, though, that rote gameplay eventually became numbing during my half-hour demo. When I drove past a wanderer who informed me of the warlord Gut Noose and his weaknesses, I found myself wondering which primary-colored dudes I’d have to beat up next.
There is something satisfying about souping up your own war machine.
In its translation to an open-world video game, Mad Max: Fury Road’s unique charm’s been traded in for monotony. This is, indeed, what it must be like when Max wakes up and just goes about his everyday business. For fans addicted to the steampunk world of Mad Max, this game may be exactly what they want: more time with Max, and an opportunity to tinker with his war car. Who knows? Maybe with some extended playtime, I’ll discover that I’m that guy; that I just want to fill Max’s dusty shoes.
After this demo session, though, I still wanted to live in Max’s world, albeit the one with the stark, propulsive detail of Fury Road and not the game’s cycle of purple people to punch.
[Images credit: WBIE]
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Sony’s Xperia Z3+ to launch globally from June 15th
When Sony announced the Xperia Z4 in Japan last month, many of us were sceptical as to whether the minimal upgrade in specifications merited using the Z4 moniker. More recently it was rumoured that this ‘Z4‘ handset would be marketed to the rest of the world as the Z3+. And so this has come to pass, with Sony releasing a press release announcing that the Xperia Z3+ will be globally available from June 15th.
So, if it isn’t the Z4, what does the Xperia Z3+ have to offer over its Z3 predecessor? Apart from changing from the Snapdragon 801 CPU to the much-maligned Snapdragon 810 Octa-core processor with 64-bit capability, the rest of the changes aren’t going to rock your world.
Externally, the Z3+ looks the same as the outgoing model, carrying the same 146mm height and 72mm width although its 6.9mm thinness means the Z3+ is 0.4mm slimmer. Weighing just 144 grams, the Z3+ is also 8g lighter.
One difference you will notice is that the MicroUSB port has been moved to the bottom of the device, where it should be. Sony has also managed to do away with the annoying flap that used to protect the Z3 from water and dust ingress. Unlike Samsung with the Galaxy S6 handsets, the Xperia Z3+ carries on the tradition of boasting XPX5/8, IP6X protection.
The Xperia Z3+ is available with 32GB of internal storage with MicroSD card support, there is no 16GB version this time round.
Another small change you may or may not notice is that while the Z3’s battery had a 3,100mAh capacity, the Z3+’s battery has been trimmed down to 2.900mAh. Sony claims that the Z3+ has an ‘up to 2-day battery life’, so perhaps the phone has been optimised for frugal power consumption, something that the Xperia Z2 was renowned for.
The Z3+ has the same 20.7MP rear camera that was on the Z3, but the front camera has been upgraded from a 2.2MP sensor to a 5MP sensor with a wide-angle lens for taking better quality selfies.
The Xperia Z3+ will be available in 4 colours – black, white, aqua green and copper. No doubt the Xperia Z3+ will be a little more expensive than the outgoing Z3 handset, is the minimal upgrade worth the cost? Or are you better off sticking with the original Xperia Z3 and waiting for the Z4 to arrive with (hopefully) all-round better specifications?
Specifications:
- 5.2-Inch TRILUMINOS™ Display with 1920 x 1080 resolution (Full HD)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Octa-Core processor 4 x cores @2.0GHz + 4 x cores @ 1.5GHz (64-bit)
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB Internal storage
- 20.7MP Rear-camera, Exmor RS for mobile, Flash
- 5.1MP Front-facing camera with wide angle lens
- MicroSD card support (up to 128GB)
- Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, WiFi
- Dimensions: 146 x 72 x 6.9mm
- Weight: 144 grams
- Battery: 2,900mAh
- Waterproof/Dustproof: XPX5/8, IP6X
- Cap-less MicroUSB port
Click here to view the embedded video.
Full Press Release
London, 26th May 2015 – Sony Mobile Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today introduces a premium addition to the Xperia™ Z3 series flagship smartphones with Xperia Z3+, a slim, sleek and stylish high-performing premium smartphone.
Xperia Z3+ helps you get the best pictures with Sony’s superior camera technology that is now packed into both the main and front cameras. Impressive smartphone battery stamina and performance keeps you connected faster and longer, whether for work or play. And Sony’s unique signature waterproof1 design ensures you can do it, whatever the weather.
Beautiful design, better than ever
Slimmer (6.9mm), lighter (144g) and expertly crafted, Xperia Z3+ continues the Sony design story with discreet, but impressive improvements. Not only is it waterproof and dust-tight (IP65/68) ideal for use in all situations, as a further design refinement Z3+ features a capless USB port making it easier and more convenient to charge your phone. In addition the magnetic charging pin has been removed, resulting in an overall more seamless and minimalist design. With a shiny finish on the metal frames, tempered glass and rounded edges, Xperia Z3+ is beautiful to look at from any angle and comfortable to hold.
Z3+ comes available in a choice of four sophisticated colour options to meet your individual taste and style – classic Black and White are joined by a new interpretation of Copper and Aqua Green.
Great pictures anywhere
Z3+ continues to offer the best of Sony’s Cyber-shot & Handycam technologies, to ensure a superior camera performance, and extends the camera evolution not just to the main camera, but the front camera too. Now you can enjoy superior photos, even in low light, with both the front and rear camera. From sceneries to selfies, capture the best shots in any light.
The main camera features the 20.7MP camera with Exmor RS™ for mobile image sensor, BIONZ™ for mobile processing engine, and a 25mm wide-angle G lens. Create the best shots first time, every time with improved Superior Auto – it automatically optimises settings to give you the best possible picture and can recognize up to 52 different scenes. And with new Gourmet mode, even your food pictures will be looking their very best. Add some fun and creativity to your photos with the latest Xperia camera apps including Style portrait and AR mask. Capture impressive detail even in low light conditions, thanks to the ISO12800 sensitivity and large 1/ 2.3 image sensor. Get great shots even when there is strong backlight, with HDR for photos and videos. Preserve and enjoy your precious moments in high quality with 4K video recording and output.
The new 5MP front camera with Exmor R™ for mobile image sensor means you can now get better selfies in any light. And the 25mm wide-angle lens is perfect for group selfies. Superior Auto analyses the photographic environment and automatically adjusts settings to make you look great every time. Full HD 1080p is ideal for video chat and when you are shooting selfie videos, SteadyShot™ with Intelligent Active Mode estimates movements to produce smoother videos.
Powerful performance and up to two-day battery life
Xperia Z3+ comes packed with the ultra fast Snapdragon 810 octa-core 64 bit processor2 that lets you browse faster than ever and get the optimal graphics experience. Whether you’re multi-tasking over Wi-Fi or the latest 4G network, Xperia Z3+ delivers the speed you need. LTE Cat 6 and Wi-Fi MIMO support enable faster connection speeds for a rich, connected experience with up to 300 Mbps LTE data download speeds on the move (actual speed may differ according to operator networks) 3. Download email with attachments in seconds and enjoy video streaming with no delays or unwanted buffering.
Powerful smartphone features demand smart power management. Xperia Z3+ is equipped to let you enjoy whatever you like doing for as long as you want. Sony’s incredible up to two-day battery stamina and innovative power-saving technology combine to give you superior long-lasting battery performance. And now you can get one day usage with just 45 minutes of charging when using a Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 2.0 certified charger, such as the UCH10(Single SIM variant only).
Keeping you entertained
Xperia Z3+ features an ultra-bright 5.2” Full HD smart adaptive display that provides increased brightness and contrast, without losing stamina. Sony’s TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile with Live Colour LED and X-Reality for mobile ensure sharper and more vivid colours. Intuitive contrast enhancement delivers the most optimized viewing experience, even in bright sunlight.
Sony’s rich expertise in audio technologies lets you enjoy sound in incredible detail and clarity. High-Res Audio reproduces high frequency sound for a studio quality experience. DSEE HXTMupscales the audio fidelity of your existing MP3 or AAC tracks to near High-Res Audio quality. And for high quality wireless music listening, Sony’s new LDACTM codec transmits data three times more efficiently than legacy codec over Bluetooth.
For those times when you need to block out background noise, Xperia Z3+ supports digital noise cancelling and pairs with the MDR-NC31EM headset, reducing ambient noise by up to 98%. And now you can enjoy optimal audio settings when connecting any headphones, as Z3+ senses both the type and style of headset and automatically adjusts the audio settings accordingly for best sound experience.
Keep playing your favourite PlayStation®4 (PS4™) games wherever you are in the home with PS4 Remote Play2. Simply connect your Xperia Z3+ to your PS4 via home Wi-Fi and use the DUALSHOCK®4 Wireless Controller to ensure you never miss a minute of the action – whatever room you are in.
And to ensure you continue to enjoy the best experiences that Sony has to offer, all Xperia Z3+ users will benefit from access to Xperia Lounge Gold – delivering the world of Sony entertainment at your fingertips. Get access to exclusive competitions and offers; be among the first to try out new apps; and enjoy the latest movies, TV episodes and music included with your device.
Availability and specifications
Xperia Z3+ will launch globally from June 2015 in both Single SIM and Dual SIM3 variants.
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Sony launches the Xperia M4 Aqua with Dual SIM’s in India for Rs. 24,990
It was just the other day that Valerie wrote about the possibility of Sony’s Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone being launched in India this week, and now it’s confirmed. The Xperia M4 Aqua will support Dual-SIMs and is priced at Rs. 24,990 ($390).
Specifications:
- 5-inch HD IPS display with 1280 x 720 resolution
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-core 64-bit processor (Quad-core 1.5GHz + Quad-core 1GHz)
- Adreno 405 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB internal storage
- MicroSD card support (up to 32GB)
- 13MP Rear camera with flash with image stabiliser
- 5MP Front camera with wide angle lens
- 4G/
- A-GPS/ Bluetooth/ NFC/ WiFi/ USB 2.0
- Dimensions: 145.5 x 72.6 x 7.3mm
- IP65/68 rating (Water and dust tight)
- Weight: 140grams
- 2,400mAh battery
- Android 5.0 Lollipop
Let us know your thoughts on Sony’s Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone in the comments below.
Source: Sony India
Come comment on this article: Sony launches the Xperia M4 Aqua with Dual SIM’s in India for Rs. 24,990
Sony launches Xperia Z3+: same as Japan’s Xperia Z4, almost the same as Xperia Z3
Sony’s Xperia Z4 may make a lot of sense for Japan, but the company received a ton of flak over the questionable decision to release a new generation of the Xperia series with just token upgrades compared to the Z3. Some suggested Sony should have pulled an Apple and kept the Z3 name a bit longer, and that’s exactly what the Japanese company is doing with the new Xperia Z3+.
Launched today without fanfare, and set for a June release, the Xperia Z3+ is, put simply, the Xperia Z4 by another name. A more modest name, in line with the minimal changes that the device brings compared to the Xperia Z3.
The Xperia Z3+ is smaller than the previous gen, with a 6.9 millimeter profile, though the slimdown comes at the cost of reduced battery capacity, from 3,100 to 2,900 mAh. The hit in battery life may be offset by the Snapdragon 810 processor, which is, in theory, less thirsty than the Snapdragon 801 powering the Z3.
The screen remains the same great 5.2-inch Full HD LCD, while Sony relocated the USB port down to the bottom of the device and did away with the magnetic charging pins. That should make for a cleaner design, thanks to the absence of the plastic flap, though the Z3+ preserves the IP65/68-rated water and dust resistance.
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The camera remains the same great 20.7MP we loved on the Xperia Z3, but the front shooter was upgraded to 5MP, in line with what the selfie-loving crowd demands from current smartphones.
The Xperia Z3+ runs Android 5.0 Lollipop, a version that should be familiar to Xperia Z series device owners who have been receiving the same update over the last couple of months.
The Xperia Z3+ is coming this summer, but we don’t have an official price tag yet. We’d be very surprised if there was any difference compared to the Z3.
There you have it: with the Xperia Z3+, Sony appears to be trying to placate critics and fans upset disappointed by the Xperia Z4. It’s not clear if Sony chose the Z3+ moniker after the Z4’s chilly reception, though we wouldn’t be surprised.
There’s nothing new or exciting about the new Xperia Z3+, and that amps up the expectation for the next generation of the series. Hopefully, the Xperia Z3+ is just a stopgap meant to keep the Xperia line in the spotlight while Sony works on the real upgrade coming – we hope – this autumn. Thoughts?
Sony’s Xperia Z3+ is a familiar flagship
Sony announced the Xperia Z4 for Japan last month, but this isn’t it. Well it is, but internationally Sony wants it to be known as the Xperia Z3+. Truth be told, that’s a more appropriate name for the phone, given the incremental upgrade it represents over last year’s model. The Z3+ may look virtually identical to its predecessor, but internally it has almost everything you’d expect from a 2015 flagship.
Let’s start with what hasn’t changed: the 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display. Our review of the Z3 found it to be excellent, and HTC also stuck with its 1080p unit this year, but there’s no hiding from the fact that Samsung and LG have higher resolution units in their latest flagships. The Z3’s 20.7-megapixel main camera is also carried over, with Sony focusing its attention on an all-new 5-megapixel selfie cam, which represents a solid upgrade from last year’s 2-megapixel shooter.
As you’d expect, the Z3+ is powered by Qualcomm’s best, the octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor paired with 3GB of RAM, which should keep Android 5.0 chugging away nicely when compared to the Z3’s 801. In order to reduce the Z3+’s dimensions (it’s 6.9mm thick, compared to 7.3mm last year) the battery has been cut from 3,100Ah to 2,900mAh. Hopefully the 810’s four low-power cores will mean that reduction won’t affect real-world battery life — Sony isn’t sharing usage figures yet, only declaring “up to two-day battery life.”
You probably noticed already just how similar the Z3+ looks to the Z3, but there’s one change worth talking about. The micro-USB port has moved from the top left, down to the bottom of the phone — no longer hidden behind a fiddly cap. Sony says this new capless port doesn’t affect the phone’s IP65/68 dust and waterproofing certifications. The magnetic charging pins, which used to live just below the charging port, have also been removed in pursuit of “an overall more seamless and minimalist design.”
The Z3+ will be available this summer at an unknown price — we’d imagine it’ll sell for about the same as the Z3 at launch. Last year’s model was very well received, but Sony was still blown away by its competitors in terms of sales. Given Sony’s two most-prominent rivals in the west, Samsung and Apple, have taken big leaps forward with the S6, S6 Edge, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, it’s difficult to see the Z3+ making much of a dent in either’s profits. Sony is in a holding pattern with its smartphone business. It needed to do something big with this latest flagship, but is instead offering yet another moderate upgrade. Maybe next year.
Virtual reality’s roller coaster ride to the mainstream
In the early ’90s, four odd-looking arcade games appeared at a rented-out store in my local mall. For about seven dollars, anyone could stop in and play three minutes of a new virtual reality game called Dactyl Nightmare. I paid up, put on the massive helmet… and then the game was over before I’d even figured out what I was doing in the blocky, chessboard-like environment. The whole experience left a lot to be desired and I never went back. It certainly wasn’t the first VR experience (or the most advanced) made available for public consumption, but it sums up how many felt about the ill-fated, first wave of consumer-facing VR projects: all hype and not enough substance. The times and technology have changed, though, and it’s finally time for round two. VR systems are being developed and promoted at a rate that outstrips the previous era, with better graphics and games (and far less queasiness) than ever before. VR, it seems, is just about ready for prime time. So to commemorate its second coming, let’s take a look at virtual reality’s bumpy road to mainstream recognition.
[Image: AP Photo/Mark Cowan]
Android 5.0 arrives for the Sony Xperia ZL, Z Ultra, ZR LTE and Tablet Z
Sony’s substantial Android 5.0 Lollipop roll-out continues, with a host of older handsets all being treated to an update this week. Sony Xperia Z (LTE model), Xperia ZR (LTE model), Xperia ZL and Xperia Tablet Z owners should all keep an eye out for an OTA notification in the coming days, as updates have already begun rolling out.
The download, labelled 10.6.A.0.454 and weighing in at around 700MB, will update the list of Xperia devices to Android 5.0.2. It has been spotted as an over-the-air update in countries as far and wide as Hong Kong to the US, even on some carrier branded handsets, suggesting that this is a truly global rollout for these devices.
The update matches features which have already rolled out to Sony’s Xperia Z3, Z2 and other smartphones, including Priority Mode notifications, actionable lock screen notifications, Smart Lock, and the slightly redesigned user interface.
Given the age of some of these handsets, Sony should be commended to bringing Lollipop to so many devices in its extensive Xperia range. Don’t forget, Android 5.1.1 has also recently been spotted running on Sony’s Xperia Z3 smartphone too, so even more updates are likely already in the works.
AIVAnet 