Xperia Live with Walkman on Android 4.0.4 (with screenies)

Question

My Thoughts on Android 4.0.4 on Xperia Live with Walkman
-Sleeker Font Style.
-Camera Shortcut right from the Lock Screen.
-Able to access the drop down notification bar even when locked.
-Music Player access right from the lock screen
-New Owner Info Option display
-Face Unlock works great on Live with walkman.
-Awesome new themes. Xperia NXT Style! Although they are only wallpapers, not the live ones seen on 2012 devices. My favorite is Tourquoise (Did I spell that right?)
-The Performance Assistant will help you disable some of the apps that you dont need.
-There it is! Official Android 4.0.4. Ice Cream Sandwich. OH YEAHHHH!!!
-If you repeatedly tap on the Android Version Menu. This little Primitive Droid will surprise you. HEHE!!
-Oh, and there's also a new logo when you start up your phone : SONY ONLY not Sony Ericsson, and in its ever-so-recognizable font style. =P
-The Sony Ericsson Liquid Logo has also been changed to Walkman, with a bubbly and quirky animation.
-Ill try to post screenies if I can.
-Greatly Improved Android Browser. Seriously, It's WAAAAYYY smoother than the one in GB.
-The Browser runs smoother than GB.
-Websites with heavy flash content load smoothly. =D
-Saved Pages Option to view pages offline.
- Only Android provides true multitasking capabilities.
- Hold the Home Button and you will be taken to this new recent/running apps tab. Swipe to the right and that app is closed. =D!!!
-Widget Preview.
- A NEW Gallery aside from the Xperia Gallery. The new gallery provides edit options. Like Picsart or Instagram or Adobe Photoshop Express. So, if you want to save some precious memory, stick with the gallery editing options =D
-HD playback still smooth as ever. I don't know what the fuss is all about. =P
-Images look fine as they did in gingebread. It really depends on shooting situations.
-Captured 720p HD Videos doesn't lag for me. Play back is smooth. Same as in gingerbread.
-Maybe, People are just not used to the new interface, but with a little bit of tinkering, you should get used to it in no time. =P
-The New Camera Interface. It now includes a dedicated on screen camera button.
-Captured Photos Quality are the same as in Gingerbread.
-Captured 720p HD Videos run as smooth as in Gingerbread.
- The New YouTube App interface.
- The Lockscreen Music Player
- There was a review about not seeing the clock due to the music player. Duhhh, you can see it at the upper right corner. =P
- I love how the album art and the album name also appears. If you are like me who converts songs from youtube to mp3. A little app called Tune Wiki can help you edit its tags so you can enable infinity view. =D
-The New Dial Pad, which provides Smart Dialing.
-About the lagginess issue. It takes about 2-3 seconds to start. It depends on how many entries you have in your call log.
-There's a workaround on it though, access it through Contacts.
- RAM usage feels the same for me. Good Job on this one Sony. =D
- I was really worried about RAM ever since I read Sony's article about GB and ICS. They did well on optimizing this one.
- My screenshot is not the best there is since I was syncing Facebook inside Xperia. But, normally it has about 180mb used and 160mb free.
- New APPS installed. Some apps like Wisepilot for Xperia can now be moved to SD card, thereby freeing more phone memory.
- My New Homescreen. It retains the very convenient four corner bubbles.
- 5 Widget Panes
- A New Google Search Widget
- Walkman Player. I was expecting the music player from the NXT series. Hehe, but I guess this will have to do. =D
- I've never seen the refresh music library option even in the GB walkman player. Through experience, everytime I add a music file it gets added in real time. No refresh required...
- Oh, and also... I think the speaker is a tad bit louder than before. Like 20% louder. I noted no distortions
- The orange lights work as usual.
- Still no customizable equalizer. This is a walkman phone. It has to have superb music customization capabilities. =P
- Battery usage for me remains the same like in GB.
-Monster Use/Heavy Gaming : 4 hours (HD games cracked for HVGA screens i.e. Asphalt 6 Adrenaline, Need for Speed, Shadowgun, Dead Space)  Although I doubt you could play that long due to the screen size and the cramps you may get from playing. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome anyone? Haha.
-Internet Browsing : 6-8 hours
-Video Playback using Stock Player and YouTube App : 6-8 hours
-Video Playback using MX player : 4-6 hours (I use it for my .avi files)
- I use Easy Battery Saver to Optimize battery performance.
In Super Mode it can last up to 24-36 hours with only texts and calls which I think is pretty impressive. I can go on 16 hour hospital shifts without worying about charging my phone.
In Normal Mode it can last 8-10 hours.
-It really depends on how you use your phone. I strongly believe it greatly varies with every user.
- Don't believe posts that say it doesn't run as smooth as GB. IT RUNS AS SMOOTH AS GINGERBREAD. EVEN BETTER. =P
- Sleeker new user interface.
- All of my apps and games still run smoothly on ICS. I'll keep searching for bugs.
- The ROBOTO font is awesome.
- I find the interface more intuitive and streamlined than GB.
- Lots of new features implemented. i.e. Smart Dialing, Face Unlock, Performance Assistant
- Icons have been remodeled.
- I also love how fluid it is now when it switches screen orientation. =D!!
- No bugs for me whatsoever.
- I miss the quirkiness of the GB user interface. Like the transparency of the messaging app. But I guess, I have to move on, change is for the better.
- A SOLID AND STABLE UPGRADE. NOW MY XPERIA LIVE IS COMPLETE.
Problems:
-Yes, the LED SMS notification doesn't work. But all other LEDs work. i.e. Yahoo Messenger, Incoming Calls, Twitter. I guess they may have overlooked this one. It's the only problem that I see. I find it livable still. Greater good for the greater number of people =P
-THANKS TO SONY!!! A huge step on the right direction.
-KIMOZAVE - NOOBIE SMARTPHONE USER

Answer 1

hi kimozave, ur review seems to be full of praises for ICS, but I have gone through many threads on disadvantages of ICS, so very much confused if I should go with ICS update or not....
can you plz tell how was is experience on:
1. Dial pad - I have read its laggy.
2. The phone is having a hard time authenticating wifi connection when using WPA encryption.
3. Thumbnails in the gallery does not match the original picture.
4. Phone dies at 10% battery remaining.
5. SIM card keeps ejecting
6. Camera is more laggy and image quality is poorer
Thanks,