Some new firmware (4.0.2.D.0.4) was recently certified for the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc and Xperia neo (including the arc S and neo V). We’ve got no idea what changes this will bring, but Siddharth Sai G (the Sony employee who believes Android ICS is coming in January) said that the ‘D’ in the firmware signifies this is a developer release and that 4.0.2.D.0.4 is in fact Android 4.0.1.
We’re not so sure that this is the case as normally every new major Android build normally sees SE adopt the next major jump in its firmware numbering. If you remember, the latest firmware currently rolling out in some regions is 4.0.2.A.0.58 (Android 2.3.4). The Xperia PLAY also saw a new firmware version (3.0.1.B.0.285) certified by the PTCRB. Siddharth Sai G says that this release is Android 2.3.6, although the ‘3’ which headlines the firmware version makes us believe it may be a previous Android version. We’re sure all will become clear soon.
Update: We have received word from a trusted source on what is written above. We have been told that 4.0.2.D.0.4 firmware is definitely NOT Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The ‘D’ in the firmware stands for branded firmware for NTT DoCoMo in Japan. The 3.0.1.B.0.285 firmware for the Xperia PLAY is related to AT&T and is NOT Android 2.3.6.
