Sony

[MTL]

So, the update to 2.3.4 rolls out next week to unbranded phones

http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2011/05/19/facebook-inside-xperia-update-hits-arc-and-play-next-week/

What does everyone think of this new Facebook inside Xperia idea?

[phunkyfish]

over the air does that mean it gets updated automatically or is it a plug in job??....let us know if you hear anything.

cheers

[stribama]

I've read it's going to be 2.3.3 and not 2.3.4

[billd]

its 2.3.3 but i would be suprised if we get it in the next 3 months with vodafones firmware release track record .

 i hope we see it soon though, im not bothered about the facebook stuff really but hopefully it will have a few bug fixes included in it and when vodafone do release there version they remove the useless 360 update, storefront and 360 shop apps which just hog my ram and make the phone alot slower, im fed up of killing these apps only for them to restart they are adding to battery drain and significantly effect the phone performance.

i really hope i dont end up having to flash to sonys standard rom but im kind of expecting it after what happened on my n900.......

[MTL]

If we get it in 3 months, thats still significantly quicker than T-Mobile (my previous carrier)

Sort of toying with the idea of rooting my Arc, simply to remove the Vodafone apps.

I'm not seeing any signicant issues as yet, it just irritates me to have to put up with the carrier bloatware.

although T-Mobile managed to include German bloatware on the last HTC Desire update....

[the_dan]

I'm not the only one frustrated with the VF bloatware then.........

anyone else suspect the delay could be related to google including Gtalk (apparently) update for video calling in this release?

[billd]

SE are rolling out the update as we speak:-) http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products/2011/05/26/update-on-facebook-inside-xperia I wonder how long till Vodafone let us have it, really hope its soon as there are alot of fixes in it for battery life,connections and video/camera:-D

[billd]

Any news on when we will get this update Vodafone? O2 users have already recieved it ! It has some important fixes that I for one would like sooner rather than later.

[Rabidferret]

Not anytime soon as the techo's who deal with it have their fingers in their ears and going la la la and then they start chanting "we are going to keep you waiting ha ha"

[billd]

not even a link to the usual generic firmware statement .it seems vodafone are even slower to respend than they were with my old n900, flashing is looking more and more likely

i really should of learnt my lesson last time...........

[BenJ]

Hi Guys

At this moment in time we have no information to share with you relating to this.

 billd has mentioned our firmware statement  which covers everything we have regarding Firmware.

More information will be available closer to the time.

Thanks
BenJ
eForum Team 

[billd]

Downloaded the new update using pc companion so far so good really like the Facebook photo intergration .one thing bothers me though why are we still stuck with storefront and Vodafone 360 update they dont even work!!! Also I gained bbc iplayer app which isnt deletable if I would of wanted that I would of downloaded it from the market now its just using up memory and annoying the hell out of me but at least that works!! So Vodafone why wasnt the bloatware that has never worked ie storefront,360 update etc removedfrom our devices its been posted about and confirmed by you before so you cant claim you didnt know?

[Rabidferret]

Hey Bild
According to the message above yours the moderators did not know that the update was out even though I had left a post stating that it was so it just shows that they don't read other posts....

[Phil_A]

So has anyone learnt how to disable the new Facebook integration?

I don't want to use it - I don't want my phone posting what I'm listening to on my Facebook page or whatever it does. What I really don't want though is the application attempting to force me to turn on 'Platform Apps' in Facebook itself which means that any of my friends who are using any application (eg Farmville) have access to some of my data such as profile name, gender and profile photo at the very minimum but by default get access to a lot more information. Effectively that means that Zynga or whoever can mine pretty much everyone's information since I'm sure we all know someone who uses Farmville.

I've now got a continuous nag in the notification bar and I can't see an uninstall or disable option.

[Dave]

Hi guys

Phil_A - At this time, there are no options for removing or disabling the Facebook integration  - it's designed as a major selling point on the handsets. I cannot confirm if this will be the case going forward or if anything will change with future developments however.

billd - We are not responsible for the inclusion of BBC iPlayer - this will have been included by the manufacturer. It's possible that this is to show that unlike some other smartphones the android devices can run the iPlayer.

The Vodafone apps are present for those customers who do wish to use them, and are free to be uninstalled from the device if requested.To do this, just go to:

Menu >Settings > Application settings > Manage applications > click on unwanted app > Uninstall.

Until we hear more, Ben's link regarding firmware information is all we can confirm, however we'll be happy to let you know when we get any new information.

Dave

eForum Team

[billd]

the vodafone apps on the arc ie 360 updates ,shop and storefront dont work at all and never have on this handset so why anyone would want them is beyond me but if you say so it must be true

also none of these services are uninstallable without rooting the phone ! the only one that is was vodafone music . you cant even stop storefront and shop from starting up they have a daemon that automatically starts them regularly. ive run performance tests on my device and they both slow it down more than any other app on the handset. i can live with iplayer although it should be uninstallable and thats probably down to sony (btw iplayer runs on lots of smartphones other than android so its not show casing naff all)

[Phil_A]

Hi Dave,

I suggest that someone thinks very seriously about this. I believe Facebook Platform Apps are a severe invasion of my privacy and have always had them turned off. This upgrade is continuously trying to nag me to allow platform apps.

It didn't before the upgrade, it does now - I suggest Vodafone take a long hard look at the EU ePrivacy directive that came into force on 5th May and decide whether they should allow the option of disabling this feature or just break the law...

btw, you're also wrong about the 360 applications - since they are included with the firmware, they can't be uninstalled either.

Phil

[Dave]

Hi guys,

As promised we've been able to confirm the release of new firmware for both these handsets this morning!

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc Firmware Update

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Firmware Update

Please check these out for the details on the new releases.

-------------------------------------------------

Just to clarify a couple of points whilst I’m here,

Phil_A - the integration with Facebook is something Sony Ericsson have developed as central to these handsets, not Vodafone. All the functionality regarding this feature comes directly from the manufacturer.

Also, I tested with an Arc we had in the office yesterday to see if the pre-installed Vodafone apps could be uninstalled and successfully removed Vodafone Music. Apologies if that is the only one which could be uninstalled, but rest assured I did test to be sure before posting, as I know how important the issue has been in recent months.

Dave

eForum Team

[Dazzleroid]

Could someone please summarise what has been improved by the 2.3.3 update and is it worth it ( especially this facebook thing and screen flicker?)

Also these branded apps are a killer!!!

I am using a task manager to kill apps but it seems 31 seem to restart automatically after being ended!! any advice appreciated? 

I don't want to root the arc as i can't be bothered. Great phone though..

Thank You