Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Gets Gingerbread

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 users are in for a surprise, as Gingerbread updates are starting to roll out. While initially planned for release next month, Sony Ericsson is already rolling out 2.3.3 to X10 handsets worldwide.

While Sony Ericsson earlier announced that the Xperia X10 won’t be getting updates past 2.1 Eclair, they had a change of heart and decided to push through with a Gingerbread update, even skipping past the popular 2.2 FroYo. Even as the Xperia X10 is already considered at end-of-life (having been superseded by its successor, the Xperia arc), this update will bring about new features and functionalities to the former flagship SE phone.

The Gingerbread update enables better social networking integration, mobile Wi-Fi hotspot support, and USB tethering, among others. However, Sony Ericsson says some features will be lost (presumably given space constraints), such as Mediascape, and Sony Ericsson’s own Backup and Restore app.

The update is rolling out in stages, with unbranded models getting the update first. As such, network-branded models may have to wait a bit longer (some Xperia X10 users have actually been able to update to Android 2.1 Eclair just recently). If you’re in a hurry, you can try de-branding your phone to get the update sooner. Do note that user data and DRM content will be replaced, so do a backup before upgrading.