Sony releases flash tool for Xperia devices

Sony has announced the release of a beta version of its new flash tool for Xperia devices, which enables a user to put on the standard Sony software on a Sony Xperia smartphone that has the boot loader unlocked. Sony has stated that this functionality has often been requested by the open Android community, and now they are glad to support it.

Sony offers a word of caution by claiming that if the phone still stays unlocked, the warranty may become void. Sony claims that since this is a beta version, only a limited number of phone models are supported at this stage.

Sony has been supporting the custom ROM community for a long time, and its unlock boot loader service is very popular. Sony states that it knows that many of its users are advanced users who like to try out different ROMs on their Xperia smartphones. But until now, there has been no way to go from a custom ROM to Sony software.

Sony states that it is proud to provide high quality, stable software for its phones, and with this new flash tool, a user can now flash standard Sony software on a Sony Xperia smartphone that has the boot loader unlocked. However, please note that the boot loader of your phone still stays unlocked.

To start with, a user can use this flash tool with Xperia S, Xperia arc and Xperia arc S, but Sony Mobile plans to add support for more models in the future. At the moment, one software version is available for each supported phone, but Sony aims to offer a selection of software versions for each phone. This could mean that a user can choose between GB and ICS releases.

This flash tool is available for most markets globally, with a few exceptions due to distribution restrictions. To get started, you download and install the flash tool on your Windows computer. When you use it, the tool connects to a server to access the software for your phone. To download the flash tool, go to the Xperia flash tool installation page. On this page, you will also find all instructions you need to install the tool.

When you have installed the flash tool, it’s easy to flash software onto your unlocked Xperia smartphone. Once you have connected the phone to the computer, the tool automatically identifies the phone model and displays the available software.

One should note that when they flash the software onto their smartphone, all their data and content will be erased. One should back up all their information.

Sony also announced recently that it would be rolling out a new version of Ice Cream Sandwich for the Xperia P, Xperia U, Xperia go and Xperia sola over the coming weeks. The new version of ICS will address issues such as bug fixes and improve the overall performance of the devices. Sony has stated that the update includes improvements such as stability, Wi-Fi tethering/ portable hotspot, camera (capture and playback), NFC and Messaging.