Finally!

Sony Ericsson's head honcho speaks and gives details, sort of, of what's been fixed in 2.3.3:

This update brings lots of fixes and optimizations within many different areas but here are some important ones where I know our developers have included many improvements and fixes:

• Battery performance
• General software stability
• Wi-Fi stability
• HD Video recording performance (Xperia™ arc)
• Touch responsiveness

Finally, some additional information of what's present, correct and FIXED in 2.3.3 - including my favourite, the HD video recording performance on the Arc. The question has to be asked though, why the secrecy ALL.THE.TIME with firmware updates? Why so secret Rikard, you've got the answers to our questions - shut us up!

Anyhoo generic release should be out in the next few days, so that's something to look forward to. And maybe a cheeky little update to GingerBreak? Wouldn't that be cool?!

Yet more Bootloader shenanigans...this time it's almost fucking personal

...You may remember this post from a couple weeks ago: http://hurfxperiaxperiences.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-bootloader.html

Yet again I was venting about the bootloader issue with the Arc, and the can we/can't we officially update saga....well, the story continues as it seems the good folks over at XDA have been on the case for the last couple weeks and have hounded Sony Ericsson Developer, Karl-Johan Dahlström across their forums:

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin one:

I am aware that we don’t have a recovery ROM in place. There are some reasons why that is the case. One reason for not supporting FOTA updates after the phone has been unlocked is that FOTA is a delta between two know SW releases and as the phone has been unlocked we can’t be sure of the SW release currently on the phone. I will bring this question back to see if we could allow phones that has been unlocked to be updated via “SW update service” which would be a way to get a Sony Ericsson ROM back on the phone, but please note the warranty may still have been voided as the phone.

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin two:

Currently we don’t support SEUS for phones that have been unlocked. I have initiated discussions if we can support that going forward, but there are several things that needs to be investigated before I can give you an answer (e.g. will it affect customer call centers, repair centers, which SW should be used for unlocked phones, how to identify phone model if other things has been modified, are there security concerns for unlocked phones etc). Will get back to you as soon as I have more information. Sorry that I can’t give a better answer at this time.

So "...Currently we don’t support SEUS for phones that have been unlocked..." is final confirmation from the horses mouth that you CANNOT update your phone using the Sony Ericsson Update Service....UNBELIEVABLE! WHY RELEASE IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BACKUP PLAN!!!!

It's an absolute disgrace and to be honest, as I'm sure you can tell, I'm absolutely fucking stumped as to how SE can do something like this - why build it if you can't bloody fix it!

WHY!?!

To make matters worse people are having to CHASE them for answers as to how/why the official bootloader hack leaves people unable to update officially:

• Why isn't the information detailed on these forums being released as an official statement from SE? 
• Why is this information only available on a blog - and not an official blog, either - and only if you go hunting for it?

This should be on the developer blog and should've been announced when the issue was first discovered, weeks ago!

Couple that with the information in here about bootloader hacked phones not being able to use certain aspects of Facebook Inside Xperia and the possibility the HD video fiasco doesn't appear to have been resolved; it's shaping up to be an interesting couple weeks.

More bootloader...

Note, this post should be back with the entries for the 16th of May. Not sure how it's ended up at this end of the month!  

The bulk of the problems listed below could probably be fixed with a firmware update in the future...although unlocking the bootloader has caused an issue with SEUS which means I can no longer update 'officially' - despite assurances from SE that this would not be the case. Very, very poor show indeed.

Luckily Mrs The Hurf also has an Arc so I believe if I update her phone first I will be able to locate the firmware that should've downloaded to my computer in order to update the phone by using FlashTool. This shouldn't be the case and I'm actually very angry AND disappointed this was not mentioned in the whole furore with the bootloader and if this wasn't enough of a glaring oversight, I and other experimenters were misinformed we would still be able to update. Really bad form, SE. Really bad. Boo hiss boo.

Perhaps with the 2.3.3 update imminent it would be pertinent for SE to release the firmware for people to download for themselves, independent of SEUS, to update through FlashTool (for example).

I have a lot on my mind today....

...

It may seem at times I'm putting the boot in a lot with Sony Ericsson and their parent company. I must admit it’s not really my intention to give them a good kicking but, well, these things just keep presenting themselves to me! Fairly spectacular catalogues of errors, mishaps and cruel twists of fate have befallen the beleaguered company recently, leaving its dwindling fan base wondering what’s coming next: 

January:

Saw the introduction of the Sony Ericsson Arc and ON THE SAME DAY the announcement that the X10 series of phones, not 9 months old, wasn’t going to receive any support past Android 2.1. Cue a backlash so severe it completely dwarfed the news about their latest shiny-shiny and raged on for weeks and weeks. At their own admission, this was a stupid mistake to make. More to follow on this below.

In response to this, SE issued a software update that incorporated Dual-Touch as the X10 was unable to cope with Multi Touch. This limped out at the end of the month to most carriers, although I believe some people are still waiting for it, thanks to the lengthy time it takes carriers to approve these things. 

February:

Saw the R.0.435 FW update bugger up the Blu-ray players it was designed to upgrade, presenting users with another reason to moan at Sony. I contacted the Sony Facebook page with my issue and was told to return the unit to the seller! No apology was forthcoming, and quite why I’d return the unit to get the same unit back and be subjected to the same update is beyond me. To compound matters, despite the worldwide furore over this, there’s still no FW update to fix the problems.

March:

Saw Sony Ericsson do a complete U-turn on Android upgrades for the X10 handsets, but only the X10i/a models, nothing else. Cue more upset. To counter this, SE announced they would be opening the bootloader for the latest models, the Arc and the Play, for developers and phone hackers alike, but it came with a catch – it wouldn’t be available on the X10i/a handsets, which is what started the bootloader argument in the first place. Unlocking the bootloader came with an even bigger sting in its tail, which we’ll come to shortly.

This month also saw the terrible tsunami in Japan do unspeakable damage to its people, resources and infrastructure which have caused delays in supplies of components which have knocked on to delays in releasing phones like the Neo.

April:

Saw the release of the Arc and Play to reasonable fanfare for the Play and almost universal approval for the Arc. However cracks soon appeared in the Arc’s sexy façade when it was discovered the HD video recording on the Arc (and the SD video recording on the Play, as it turned out) was practically useless: Thanks to a problem with the way the video and audio are buffered on the phone, the audio goes out of sync with the video after just a few seconds.

Rumours abound that 2.3.3 was coming to the handsets as well, bringing some performance updates and an in-depth Facebook interaction to the handset called Facebook Inside Xperia. More on 2.3.3 below...

The bootloader was unlocked during the middle of April too, once again to almost universal fanfare, this time from the developing community. However the powers that be neglected to mention (or simply didn't know) once you 'officially' unlocked the bootloader you would lose the ability to receive official updates for your phone through SEUS – this despite assurances from SEUK that you WOULD be able to do. Thank goodness then for the wonderful work being done by the geniuses who populate the forums @ XDA and have provided tools such as FlashTool and Fastboot for Dummies guidance!

As if all this wasn’t enough, on April 20^th the Playstation Network was hacked, which resulted in 25 days of the network being offline and a £110 million bill to Sony to put it all right. I as type this, the PSN is back online but the store itself is not. It’s rumoured to be open at the end of the month, but seeing as though it’s the 26^th of May, I think that’s optimistic to say the least.

May:

Quiet up until Monday 23rd, which saw the discreet release of the fabled 2.3.3 firmware...starting in Hong Kong.

I got hold of the Hong Kong FW - pre-rooted, no less - and flashed it to the phone on Tuesday afternoon - the 24th. All working fine. On the 25th, despite there being no over the air update from SE UK direct, O2 released the 2.3.3 update to their handsets - updating OTA or through SEUS! 

Quite the scandal, especially considering we were told when to expect the release from SEUK themselves - in top secret confidence - and it wasn't 25th May, that's for sure! How a carrier has beaten a service provider to provide an update for a phone the carrier pulled from the shelves a month ago, is mind-boggling to say the very least!

 

Anyway, with the release of the O2 FW I've updated my phone again to the have UK version (may have been released by O2, but it's not branded) only to discover unlocking the bootloader restricts access to DRM content and I can't use part of the new 'Facebook Inside Xperia' software. Curses

2.3.3 vs Bootloader-unlocked phones...

...It's been a very exciting time the last 24 hours or so. On Tuesday evening, 24th, the 2.3.3 update for the Arc was released - in Hong Kong. However it didn't take very long before the necessary files to build a .ftf package were available. The package was flashed to my phone and worked fine, Facebook Inside Xperia integration worked to an extent, except the Music app wasn't letting me 'like' tracks as previously advertised here

Not the end of the world, but a minor niggle. However tonight, 25th May, for reasons unknown O2 have managed to get their 2.3.3 firmware out a good 10 days in advance of SEUK. Quite the scandal. Once again, the required files were soon made available and another .ftf package was built and flashed to the phone. Still problems with the Music app.

On a whim (and thanks to Alan Lewis for the prompt) I installed the O2 firmware on the wife's phone, which hasn't been rooted or booted. Put the SIM card in her phone, dumped a couple tracks onto the phone...surprise surprise, the 'like' works.

Casting my mind back to unlocking the bootloader, completing this process buggers up the DRM on the phone - which is most likely what this facility is tied into - it works in conjuction with TrackID.

So, once again something else doesn't work once you've cracked the bootloader - users who've taken this step or are thinking about doing so, be aware of the following facts:

IF YOU UNLOCK THE BOOTLOADER OF YOUR PHONE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE THE FULL FEATURES OF FACEBOOK INSIDE XPERIA...OR OFFICIALLY UPDATE YOUR PHONE TO EVEN USE FACEBOOK INSIDE XPERIA

You have been warned

Just priceless....

...after over three weeks of hell, the PSN is finally back online. Not 100%, but back nonetheless. To celebrate, Sony have decided to do what's best and, giving them their due, they have detailed the welcome back package. However, as soon as they've done that, they're back to doing what they do best - try to pimp new stuff in light of some serious company damaging events (although they call it getting back to normal!)

Nothing changes!

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/

Reboots

It seems there are people out there using the Arc who are experiencing random reboots, from reading some of the comments, it seems the cause could be attributed to some third-party apps. I haven't had anything like that myself, mainly because I didn't log into the third party stuff and in fact wiped them from the phone as soon as root was available!

Something to watch out for though. Check the full story in the link provided

Sony 'distracted by vigilante attack' while data stolen...

...is the biggest load of rubbish I've read in quite some time. A massive company like Sony, distracted by a Denial of Service attack? That's a very flimsy excuse indeed, read here for more on that drivel.

Taking 2 days to inform the authorities though is no surprise to those who have had dealings with Sony and it's affiliates in the past - after all, they do know best. Apparently. 

From talking to a couple friends in the gaming business - indepedent games retailers and chains alike - there now appears to be a surplus of PS3's as many impatient and silly people traded their console for the Xbox 360. What this will do for the price of either console is anyone's guess, but with a price-drop due from the PS3 anyway in June it could go either way.

Still, the network is back up and running, so for those who have waited 25 days...congratulations! You will now be able to play online again and will be the recipient of some premium content from Sony as a thank you for continued patience.

But as if that weren't enough, some ISP's are now throttling their services to cope with the millions of people trying to get back online with the PS3. Poor Sony, it's just one thing after another!

Misc issues...

I really hate to give the Arc such a battering, but it does tend to bring it upon itself:

Background apps:
Even when running the phone in airplane mode, with a menory manager running as well, there are still several processes too many going on in the background. Some things just don't like being killed and, despite rooting the handset for more control, will insist on restarting.It's very annoying at times, especially with the AV issue, to have memory allocated to something I'm not even using. LiveWare manager-this means you!

Battery:
Despite turning off data and roaming to save a few quid, I decided to put the phone through it's paces camera-wise and put the phone in flight mode to save battery....or so I figured. When using the phone just as a camera, nothing more, battery life is abysmal under even moderate use. Charging the phone overnight, switched off until the morning then topped up to 100%, flight mode only, and taking 50-60 pictures, the phone chews through 85% of the charge in about 10 hours.

Messing with battery figures in the past with the likes of JuiceDefender/GreenPower I worked out the phone (using it properly as a phone/walkman/occasional camera) should draw on average between 1-2.5% an hour.

To lose that much power in such a short space of time is excessive...AND I'm exiting the camera app when I can as the damn thing runs even when the screen is locked! I know the phone is designed to be used primarily as a phone so perhaps I'm expecting too much, but come on...!

More music...

Music:
I put extra music on the phone as I ran out of space on the iPod when prepping for the honeymoon (iPod classic being purchased VERY soon!) and soon found using the phone extensively to play music highlights the previous problems mentioned with the stock Music app and it's lack of a lockscreen, er, screen?

I prefer the EQ on the stock app but am using PowerAmp so that I can skip through tracks without opening the phone. Given that I'm using Green Power to control the battery life on my phone, the lockscreen feature would be most welcome as on the stock app I have to open the phone, thus activating data, everytime I want to change tracks.

Even with the best will in the world, GreenPower and/or the phone sometimes gets confused with the data going off/on/off/on everytime I change tracks - and I like variety so I change tracks a lot!

Oh, and the music app chews through battery quite excessively, too.

Camera stuff...

Camera position:
Arc's camera IS great, but after using it a lot, I've come to realise it's position on the chassis of the phone is ultimately an annoyance- some photos I've taken have got a hint of fingertip in the lower left corner of the picture. Not a deal-breaker, but an annoyance nonetheless. The lens should've been more centralised on the body, like with the Neo or X10.

Touch capture:
Perhaps have a facility to 'grab' frames when videoing - this could be a useful extension of touch-to-shoot/focus.

After the fiasco with the AV sync, perhaps this might be too much for the phone's software to bear but 2.3.3 is right around the corner so maybe it's something that could work when the AV problems are ironed out?

More camera;
Missing from the new camera software (but included on the X10) is a simple readout across the bottom of the screen when using the camera to show you how many photos or minutes of video you are able to take with the space remaining on the current SD card.

And the issue with the missing zoom rears it's head now and again too. Well, according to certain sticklers there IS zoom on the Arc, yes, but not an any resolution above 2MP. Why? It was on the X10 and the Arc is supposed to be the next big step in camera phone technology by incorporating things like BRAVIA and Exmor-R, so why no zoom on a supposedly better phone?

Simple features like zoom and capacity details are found not only on the X10 (as mentioned) but also included as standard on pretty much EVERY camera on the planet. And probably most phones too. Why, why, WHY this is suddenly missing only Rikard Skogberg knows.

Don't get me wrong, the Arc does take better photos than the X10 but at the moment it's merely a good camera which COULD be great...the AV sync is a stinker of an issue and to be missing such standard, simple features like capacity details is just soooo silly it beggars belief as to why it's been removed in the first place!?!? It's all in the details...all in the details.

On the road...

...Taking the Arc with me to Mexico was something of a gamble, given the issues with the AV sync, so I took my X10 as well so I could shoot some HD video without any problems. I left the X10 on the tourbus one day while I was out an about so 'made do' with the Arc. Tried to shoot some video, with 170MB+ free in the memory...19 seconds in, video freezes. Disappointing and RUBBISH!

Mercifully I haven't been using the Arc as my primary camera (I've got a real camera for that) but started using it on the Road to Chichen Itza, a four-day tour the wife and I undertook in order to elleviate the terrible hardship of lying on the beach drinking daiquiris.

Giving the phone(s) a bit of battering to really test roadworthiness has thrown up more problems with the software - or the usual missing features scenario we've gotten used to with 2.3.2. Unfortunately you'll have to bear with me as I've broken the article down in sections, and there are a few.

The fun just never stops...

...with Xperia. Back in April, when the bootloader was officially opened for the Arc/Play, it was speculated those who had opened the bootloader wouldn't be able to update officially...

No, no, no, said SE, you'll be fine. Fast forward a month and apparently that's not the case - now it seems you have to fuck about behind the scenes (again) in order to get any future updates for the phone.

Absolutely shocking turn of events to be honest, made even more annoying since I wrote an impassioned piece on how wonderful it was SE had taken such a bold move with opening bootloaders and embracing potential outside development. Very disappointing, very disappointing indeed.