Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Neo in ICS tests

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Neo in ICS tests
The next wave of Google updates is imminent

Sony Ericsson has submitted its Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo handsets to the PTCRB in the US to test them for compatibility with Google's Ice Cream Sandwich platform.

The PTCRB is a North American alliance of cellular providers, and tests to make sure the phone will run smoothly on all networks when updated to new software.

Sony Ericsson has now submitted its Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo for testing, although there's no word on the Arc S or Neo V at this time - presumably these are either the same thing or will be submitted for their own inclusion in good time.

Beginning again

Either way, it's excellent news for the reams of fans that are looking forward to giving their handset a new lease of life when Android 4.0 lands - we're intrigued to see what Sony Ericsson will do beneath its TimeScape overlay.

The move shows that the soon to be solely Japanese firm is sticking to its word - where before Sony Ericsson handsets were among the worst for getting the latest version of Android, a tweak to the UI means it can now be 'unhooked' much more easily from the OS to facilitate upgrades.

Given the phones are in testing now, we're hopeful for an Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo Ice Cream Sandwich UK release date of somewhere in February 2012.

For a heads up on what to expect when Ice Cream Sandwich hits your phone, check out the tasty video below:

From IT168 via PhoneArena

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.