Owners of the Sony Xperia E3 Dual should check their notifications for a new message about the arrival of a new software update with build number 18.5.B.0.26. The new firmware version shifts the software to Android 4.4.4 KitKat. It seems as though Sony is making a last ditched effort to upgrade all Xperia devices to the final stages of Kitkat before rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Traditionally speaking, Android 4.4.4 KitKat comes with bug relief for those suffering from existing bugs, a smoother and faster ROM over the earlier 4.4.3 KitKat, a tweaked phone dialer with new font and blue color, plus a security fix from the exploit found in Open SSL thanks to a Google patch. However, not all devices find those features and some people have no idea about the revamped phone dialer.
Since most of the other features which make Kitkat well-known such as the white status bar, white navigation bar, immersive mode, full screen album art from the lock screen, new location menu, new Emoji faces and wireless printing were already patched in the earlier builds, the last stages of Kitkat don’t come with much. With that being said, never underestimate the value of bug relief as many users get stuck with existing software bugs until updates such as these roll out.
Furthermore, the latest version of Android 5.0 Lollipop is known to come with many bugs as it’s the greatest change to any Android version since it all started nearly a decade ago. The closest comparison is the jump up to Gingerbread. Whenever we get loads of new features we always get bugs. understand that bugs vary and not all people will find them once Lollipop comes.
For the most part, people want Lollipop because they are excited about the new features. They include a new material design user interface, screen pinning, device sharing, multiple user support, material design in the app drawer, important camera updates, security updates which make rooting harder, a new Easter Egg that plays like Flappy Bird and more. Of course, something all users will love is the Google team out of Mountain View have made the new OS even faster than before.
Those Xperia E3 owners erring on the side of caution will prefer to back up the existing data using the built-in backup functionality, or by installing any third-party application from the Google Play Store. Helium for Android is our pick as we head into the second quarter of 2015.