In case you've lost count, it's now been six months since Google released the source code for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. If you're a regular reader of our reviews, you'll know exactly what's coming next: the Sony Xperia P is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
Now, I believe Sony when it says that an Ice Cream Sandwich update is right around the corner, but frankly, I don't care. There's just no excuse for releasing a device without ICS at this point. Even Google Play is still called "Market" when you first boot the device, unlike recent Gingerbread devices like the Optimus 3D Max. While there's no real difference to the end user, it's a good indication of just how old this particular build is — the Google Play switch came two and a half months ago.
Having said that, Sony's current Gingerbread skin is light and well organized. There's a whole suite of custom widgets, some of which are great, if a little flashy for my tastes. The gallery carousel widget is probably the standout, along with a handy set of eight toggles for wireless, radio, and sound settings. However, there are many that are unneeded, unwanted, and impossible to remove — something which unfortunately also applies to pre-installed software.
The non-removable app list is as follows: Connected Devices (DLNA), Timescape (Social Networking), Setup Guide, Facebook, Music Unlimited, Video Unlimited, TrackID (Shazam alternative), and Recommended (a curated list of apps that links to Google Play). There's one question that comes to mind — why? I can understand Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited being non-removable — Kaz Hirai's One Sony should be offering all of its services on every device it ships. The others vary from useful (DLNA media streaming functionality out of the box is always nice) to utterly useless (Recommended).
Taking the total bloatware count to 18 are WhatsApp Messenger, Wisepilot, McAfee Security, NeoReader, Media Remote, EA Games, ASTRO, Power Saver, OfficeSuite, PlayNow, and, everyone's favorite, the Function Validation Tool. Thankfully, all of these apps are removable — a small mercy. Unbelievably, amidst all of the software, there's no task managing solution. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Samsung, LG, and Android 4.0, but I expect a smartphone to come with a simple way to halt applications. I was forced to download a third-party app from Google Play.
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