Sony has been running its AOSP for Xperia program for a while now, letting developers load Google’s untouched version of Android onto their Xperia phones and build custom ROMs. Now that Android 5.0 Lollipop is here, Sony has shown that it’s continuing its hard work on the AOSP for Xperia project by loading Android 5.0 AOSP onto the Xperia Z3.
As you can see above, Sony has the vanilla version of Android 5.0 running on the Xperia Z1, Z2 and Z3, three of its most recent flagship Android smartphones. The video goes on to show what untouched Android 5.0 looks like running on an Xperia Z3. Sony notes that this software is neither certified nor intended for daily use.
Sony also announced its new 3Beta program. The effort will see Sony team up with Swedish carrier 3 and give users the chance to try out Android 5.0 Lollipop updates on Xperia phones before their public launch. Sony plans to use this effort to gather feedback on the updates before pushing them to everyone.
In order to take part in the 3beta test, you need to be a 3 customer and be located in Sweden. However, Sony does note that it’ll be monitoring interest in the program and its success and that it may roll out similar programs to other markets in 2015.
Sony has become increasingly tinkerer and user-friendly in recent years with this AOSP for Xperia project and its effort to sell unlocked smartphones directly to consumers. While the markets for these programs may not be huge, it’s great to see Sony making an effort to please the more hardcore users out there, and hopefully more companies take note and follow in Sony’s footsteps.
Via Sony
