The Sony Xperia Z suffered bad press when some phones suddenly died without cause or warning. Now Sony has issued a bug fix that corrects the problem.
Previously, some Xperia Zs would shut down during use. Some of the phones could be turned back on with a hard reboot, but many of them were totally bricked and had to be returned to Sony for replacement.
Xperia Z owners can get the bug fix through the PC Companion app, or by checking for an update under the Settings menu on the phone. Of course, the update won't help anyone whose phone is already dead, as they won't be able to boot up to install the fix, so grab the update as a soon as possible, in case your phone is about to black out, too.
The build version of the update is 10.1.A.1.434. The OS version is still Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and the kernel is still 3.4.0.
It's an unfortunate situation for the Xperia Z, which has received great praise for being both sleek and rugged. Sony is hoping the phone will help it break into the crowded mobile phone market. The company is marketing the phone as a high-end alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC One and the next iteration of the iPhone, due to be unveiled sometime next month.
The Sony Xperia Z features a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 5-inch 1920x1080 pixel display, a 13.1 megapixel camera with 1080p video, 16 GB of internal storage and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, though Sony has promised a quick upgrade to 4.2. It is waterproof down to a meter in depth for up to half an hour.
Check back for the latest information on the Xperia Z as it becomes available.