How to Update Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo to 2.3.4 Gingerbread Update

Forget Late October or early November as there’s a great news for all Sony Ericsson Neo phone users as in the due course of this article we will be seeing on how you can easily update the latest version of Gingerbread 2.3.4 on your Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo. Please note that the update which we will be discussing in the due course of the update is the global update and not the regional update. Though it’s not recommended for the users of Xperia Neowhich are having the network locked devices, you can still proceed with the update  as this update is already started to release and will be the more or less same patch file which is being pushed by Sony Ericsson. This update comes as a great respite for all those who were really fed up with some of the major bugs which now has been sorted out in this version of Gingerbread release from Sony Ericsson.

Please note that for your convenience we have distributed this article over few pages so that you can easily flip through the pages for referring every section separately. Just in case if you are worried about whether you will be losing the warranty then we would like to say that there is no way that you will be losing the warranty.

Disclaimer: We should not be held responsible in any manner in whole or in parts if any damage happens to your device which is very highly impossible if you follow each and every single instruction which is mentioned in this article. Often it has been found that users don’t follow the instructions and end up bricking up the phones for which we don’t take responsibility.

Note: Please note that you should only apply this update to Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo and to not any other phone, just in case if you still proceed then you will end up bricking up the phone which may be reversible or irreversible.

Rooting Information:
Just in case if your device is already rooted and is on any version of the custom ROMs then after applying this update, the root access will be revoked and after updating the firmware you need to again need to root the phone for getting the root access.

Updating with this Gingerbread 2.3.4 won’t in any manner means that you will be rooting the phone as this is the official firmware from the house of Sony Ericsson. Also, there are talks doing the rounds that many other outside mobile developers will soon also be coming out with the later versions of Gingerbread 2.3.5 for Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo and other Sony Ericsson family phones. Though there is no ETA on the same but as soon as it gets released or leaked, we will be among the first few at androidadvices.com who will be covering the same.

So, in the due course of the article we will see on what are the enhancements which come along with this phone and then followed by the Pre upgrade instructions and then the actual instructions on how you can apply this update manually / forcefully on your Xperia Neo handset.

Enhancements in Gingerbread 2.3.4 for Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo:

• Video Gtalk now supported,
• 3D Panorama feature is now activated and also 2D images now look like 3D ones with a special feature in the camera application which comes by default with this update.
• Swype Keyboard part of the standard package,
• Screen Capture feature included,
• Facebook application has been further tweaked with minor enhancements and also now comes with stability fixes,
• User interface is now much more fluidic than ever,
• Battery life has been marginally optimized to deliver 5 – 10% extra battery life,

Pre Requisites before updating the Xperia Neo to Gingerbread 2.3.4:

• So, before you proceed to the updation process, the first and the foremost thing which you need to take care is that the data needs to be backed up as in the firmware update process the data which is there in the phone will be erased. The main components of your phone which you have to backup are the text messages and the contacts as these are by default stored in the phone. You can make use of below tips and links which will help you to backup and restore the data easily and safely.
• Another thing which you need to take care is that you will have to ensure that the battery is charged more than 90% as the updating process sometimes takes more battery charge than expected. The higher the battery life, the better will be the battery backup even after the firmware update or else if you update with lesser battery then sometimes you need to fine tune the battery by calibrating the same which is bit of a tedious process.
• Ensure that you take off Sim card, memory card if any from your phone till the firmware is updated, once the firmware gets updated successfully you can then put back the sim card as well as the memory cards.
• The PC which you will be using for the update should be minimum having the Windows XP / Vista / 7 Operating system along with the minimum USB 2.0 capability and as of now due to technical limitations the Sony Ericsson flash tool doesn’t support the Mac / Apple based systems. Also, you should have the admin privileges in your computer or else you may face some issues while updating the device. Before proceeding close the softwares like KIES / Antivirus Suites / Firewall tools completely so as to avoid from firmware update failure message.

So, after following all the steps successfully, let’s move to the next page where the Update instructions are waiting to be processed from your side so that you can enjoy the Gingerbread 2.3.4 version right on your Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo phone.

Procedure to update Gingerbread 2.3.4 on Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo:

• Before proceeding, you will have to download the Sony Ericsson Flash Tool from here to your computer along with the Gingerbread 2.3.4 update File. Now, as soon as you download these both tools, you will have to extract both of them and first up install the Flash tool in your computer and after that you need to extract the Gingerbread 2.3.4 Zip file to your computer. Please note that in the due course of the unzipping, you will be prompted to enter the password, enter the password as “androidadvices.com” without the inverted comas.

• Once you are done with the above process, you will now have to go to the place where you extracted the above downloaded zip file named “Sony Ericsson Flash Tool” where you need to open the folder which is named as “X10Flash Tool” as shown in the below screen shot. Please note that this is the executable file.

• After this you need to unzip the “Gingerbread 2.3.4 update File” which you have downloaded in the first step to get the file named “MT15i_4.0.1.A.0.283_Global.ftf” and then you need to copy the same to the folder named “firmwares” which is located in the extracted files of “Sony Ericsson Flash Tool”. Please ensure that you don’t rename or modify the path of the extraction from the desktop or else it will be difficult to locate the same.

• Once it’s opened, you will see a pop up where in you will have to click on the flash option and then you will have to select the downloaded firmware from the firmwares folder as shown in the below screen shot.
• As soon as you click on Ok, you will then be prompted to connect the phone with the computer and then you will have to connect the device to the computer with the USB cable and then you will have to pick your phone up and then just hold the “Back key” which is located at the bottom left of your Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo.

• Now, once you connect the phone, the flash tool will begin the update process which will automatically be initiated and just in case if any notification prompts are popped up then simply accept them all.
• Once the firmware update process gets finished, you will now be prompted to remove the USB cable which is connected with computer and then all you need to do is to just switch ON the device. Please note that the phone will take up to 10 minutes in booting the phone as this is the first start of the device as the firmware update will initiate the process of starting the device in the normal mode and also it applies all the critical updates which happened in the firmware update process.

Please note that just in case if you failed to update the phone or the phone gets stuck in the middle of the firmware update then all you need to do is to just repeat the whole process from the start.

Incoming search terms:

• firmware xperia neo v ftf
• XperiaNEO v 4 2 2 3 4 zip