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Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Play getting Facebook-friendly Android 2.3.3

The Xperia Arc and Xperia Play get a performance boost and Facebook integration with an Android 2.3.3 upgrade.

Andy Merrett
Andy Merrett has been using mobile phones since the days when they only made voice calls. Since then he has worked his way through a huge number of Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson models. Andy is a freelance writer and is not an employee of CNET.
Andy Merrett
2 min read

Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc and Xperia Play will waltz into the land of Android 2.3.3 next week, reports Recombu.

Assuming that UK mobile networks approve, users should see their handsets ready for upgrade very soon. As always, there may be a variation in exactly when the update rolls out. All that should be solved with the Ice Cream Sandwich release later in the year. For now, keep an eye on your phone -- it'll tell you when it's ready.

Those with a need to share the minutiae of their lives on Facebook should be pleased to learn that the update brings them Facebook Inside Experia. This includes the ability to 'like' the music currently playing on your phone (which posts it to your wall with a link to Sony's TrackID music service), upload your snapped photos, synchronise your Facebook calendar to your phone and Google account, and link your contacts to Facebook profiles.

Facebook inside Xperia will wend its way on to all other Xperia phones, including the Neo, mini and mini pro, by the end of the year. The feature can be selectively turned off if you're concerned that everything you do ends up on your wall. We've spent enough time worrying about Android data thieves without facing the smorgasbord of Facebook and Sony privacy issues all at once.

The head of Web service partnerships at Sony Ericsson, Calum MacDougall, said the plan was to "enrich the experience" of using the Xperia phones alongside Facebook, with new features being added over time, rather than replacing the functionality of the Facebook app.

Presumably we can now all look forward to frantic, non-stop wall postings and an increased need to use the 'hide' button.