Sony Xperia phones get Jelly Bean schedule

Sony has provided a specific rollout schedule for when its Xperia phones will be getting the push to Android 4.1.

The latest version of Google’s mobile OS, also known as Jelly Bean, will be making its way to a number of Sony’s handsets next year.

The Xperia T, Xperia TX, and Xperia V will all get the update in the first quarter. However, the Xperia S, Xperia Arco S, Xperia P, Xperia Ion, Xperia J, and Xperia Go will not get the new firmware until later.

The Jelly Bean upgrade could be considered a minor update for the Android platform, which is why it only brings the version number up to 4.1 instead of 5.0.

The most functional aspect of the update is that it looks different depending on the kind of device, so 7-inch tablets have a different presentation of Jelly Bean than 10-inch tablets or smartphones.

Among the updates are increased enhancements to the speed and performance of Android, new and sleeker widgets for the home screen, expandable notifications, and a more user-friendly app for viewing and deleting photos.

It also offers a new touchscreen keyboard for even more seamless text input, as well as new features for the ever-growing list of near field communication (NFC) devices, allowing users to tap phones together to enable things like photo sharing.