Sony Xperia Neo L is Sony's first Ice Cream Sandwich, finally
Sony has unveiled its first Ice Cream Sandwich phone, and it's one L of a mobile: it's the Xperia Neo L.
Sony has unveiled its first Ice Cream Sandwich phone, and it's one L of a mobile: it's the Xperia Neo L.
The Xperia Neo L MT25i packs a 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM. There's 1GB of built-in memory and a 5-megapixel main camera, all topped off with a 4-inch screen. It comes in black or white.
The specs may not be anything to write home about, but Ice Cream Sandwich is a big plus. The absence of the latest version of Android from Sony's line-up of new phones for 2012 is a real elephant in the room, so it's good to see Ice Cream Sandwich is within the bounds of possibility for the company.
It's time for Xperia to step up and reverse recent calamitous losses that prompted Sony's decision to ditch both feature phones and partner Ericsson. So hopes are high for the Sony Xperia S, Xperia U and Xperia P.
Sony is also planning the Xperia Sola, a phone that lets you surf the web without even touching the screen. And if that's not enough, look out for a new ad campaign directed by Royal Tenenbaums helmer Wes Anderson.
Press play on our video to see the Xperia S, currently running the previous version of Android, known as Gingerbread.
At this stage the Xperia L is only intended for China, but I'm hopeful it means Ice Cream Sandwich will arrive in Sony's other phones imminently. Just look at the furore over the ICS update on the Samsung Galaxy S2 to see how important the update is to many phone fans. To see what all the fuss is about, check out our 10 reasons why Ice Cream Sandwich beats Gingerbread.
Can Sony hope to compete when its line-up of new phones is stuck on old software? Do regular phone users even know or care about Android updates? Tell me your thoughts on Ice Cream Sandwich in the comments or on our Facebook page.