[Tutoria] Downgrade to Gingerbread from official ICS [Xperia Ray]

If you want to downgrade to the official Gingerbread rom from the ICS update here is a tutorial which will help you doing this:

      1 >> Download Flashtool and the official Gingerbread Rom for xperia ray from here:
                 Flashtool : http://androxyde.github.com/Flashtool/
                 Xperia Ray Ginger bread Rom (ST18i)_4.0.2.A.0.42_CE : 402A042_CE.ftf   
     
       2>> Install flashtool on the default directory.

       3>> Install the Drivers for Xperia ray flashing, after installing flashtool you can find it on

              C:/flashtool/drivers/

              Double click on the Flashtool-drivers.exe and install the following drivers as shown in this pic               below:

       4>> Connect your Ray to the data cable by holding the volume down button. ( remember your phone must be turned off and flash tool is open). After you connect the phone flash tool will connect it in the flash mode. just like this pic:

                                                                               
       5>> After your ray is connected in flash mode just click on the flash icon, ( the big and first icon below file menu) on the flashtool window. Now check flashmode>OK and then browse to the folder where you have kept the gingerbread firmaware ftf file which you downloaded earlier.


      6>> After selecting the "Xperia Ray (ST18i)_4.0.2.A.0.42_CE.ftf" file click on ok leaving the default options as they are flashtool will begin its process.

     7 >> After flashtool finishes the flashing process you are done Downgrading to Gingerbread again.

Cheers mates, If you find any difficulties in this process feel free to comment and ask me your questions.

HD Games Review On Xperia RAY OFFICIAL ICS v 4.0.3

               I have tested many HD games on my xperia ray which is updated with the official Ice Cream Sandwich Update v 4.0.3 to let you know how these games will work or not in this ICS rom.

               At first I got disappointed  by three of my favourite games which are GTA 3, Asphalt 6 and N.O.V.A. 2. All these games are from gameloft so I have to say that these three gameloft games are not working on the ICS rom of xperia ray.

               Then I tested two more games which I play sometimes are Angry Birds and NFS Hot Pursuit. These two games kinda satisfied me on this rom. Angry birds runs fine on this ics rom. NFS Hot Pursuit also works on the ICS rom but I found the sound is a bit buggy but everything else were fine.

So here is the detailed results of the HD GAMES on ICS :

1. GTA 3 : Hangs up or force closes after 5-10 ,inutes of gameplay.
2. Asphalt 6 : Control is buggy gmaeloft have said that they will provide the the bug fix for their customers soon.
3. N.O.V.A. 2 : This game currently not support the ICS rom.
4. NFS Hot pursuit : No lag issue played it for hours, sound is little laggy.
5. Angry Birds : Works fine.

                 Here is a video test done by me:

                So at the conclusion I have to say that who likes to game always on their xperia ray should stay at the gingerbread rom right now because ICS is not supporting all the HD Games right now.

[Trick] HOW TO TAKE SCREENSHOT ON XPERIA AFTER ICS UPDATE

After the ICS Update Xperia Ray and other xperia models usage are changed alot. Same is the case on the way to take the screenshot on xperia ray and other xperia phones after ICS update.

So it is the way:

Press these two keys one after another within a second to take the screenshot from you xperia ray or other xperia phones with ICS :

POWER BUTTON then VOLUME DOWN.

It might be difficult at first but after using it for some days it will be easy for you. Here are some of the screenshots which I taken from my Xperia Ray with the ICS update:

[Tutorial] HOW TO INSTALL OFFICIAL ICS RELEASE ON XPERIA RAY

Hello guys, As sony have released the ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) update for xperia ray and other Xperia phones only in nordic countries it means other countries will have to wait another 4-6 weeks to get it.

But in this tutorial I will show you how to update to official ICS update on your xperia ray from any country, be you are in India or USA you can install this from anywhere using this tutorial:

how to install official ics release on xperia ray step by step guide

XPERIA RAY OFFICIAL ICS UPDATE RELEASED

Sonymobiles have launched their xperia ray official ics update yesterday. But they have aired this update only to some countries and as they have mentioned they will roll out it within a few weeks in the other countries including china, india, united kingdom etc.

This xperia ray official ics update is currently only available on these countries: Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway.

As sonymobile have mentioned already and I also personally tested this sweden rom on my xperia ray, this ics update is so laggy. It eats up a lot of RAM and if you are a android gamer as me I recomend you not to update your xperia ray with ics. Because I tried playing a 3d game which runs fine on gingerbread is lagging too much in the ics also sony mobile have not provided any option to downgrade to gingerbread again. If you are not a advanced android user, after the ics update you will be unable to downgrade to gingerbread as I did and your gaming on the ray will go in vain. But we all are excited to try the ICS update on our xperia ray and hope that Sonymobile will roll out the official ics update for xperia ray in india soon. I will be keep updating here with any news that comes up.

[Tutorial] HOW TO UNLOCK THE BOOTLOADER OF XPERIA RAY

Well, unlocking the boot loader is something which is important for the advanced android users. In short it allows you to install custom ROM on your Xperia Ray. But there are many advantages and dis-advantages of unlocking the boot loader.

The main dis-advantage of unlocking the bootloader of xperia ray is that it might void the warranty on some certain areas. And for the advantages after unlocking the xperia ray you will have full access to your phone root and also cann install custom rom on your xperia ray.

So, here is how to unlock the bootloader of xperia ray:

First of all, Some GSM phones cant be unlocked so you have to check that whether you can unlock your xperia ray or not. To check it you have to type these digits on you phone: *#*#7378423#*#*

After pressing a menu will show up. In this menu tap Service info > Configuration > Rooting Status. If Bootloader unlock allowed says Yes, then you can continue with the next step. If it says No, or if the status is missing, your device cannot be unlocked.

If your xperia ray is ready to be unlocked then congrats. you can follow this official sonymobile link and unlock xperia ray:

http://unlockbootloader.sonymobile.com/instructions

[news] Xperia Ray ICS Update

As far the information provided by Sony Developer blog, it seems that Xperia Ray and other Sony Ericson 2011 Models which were said to be getting the ICS 4.0 update on last of march/first of april will get the update on mid-april.

It seems like that Sony is finding it difficult to implement the ICS features with their XPERIA 2011 models, specially in GUI part. Thats why they have delayed the update date again for 15-20 days as they promised to be. As far the information they provided that ICS consumes more resource than Gingerbread on their 2011 Xperia models. Sony developers also hinted their Customers with one of their blog post not to upgrade to Icecream sandwich from Gingerbread. But every Xperia model owners are waiting eagerly to try ICS on their Xperia phones and sony cant make anyone not waiting for the ICS update who bought their Xperia phones just to implement the ICS UPDATE. Till then all we can do is wait and hope that Sony developers will come with a stable ICS 4.0 update for our Xperia Ray. I will be updating the blog with any new news about the ICS update that comes up.

[trick] HOW TO TAKE SCREENSHOT ON XPERIA RAY WITHOUT ANY APP !

If you are wondering on how to take screenshots on xperia ray without any app or having to root your phone here is the answer. Well the answer is that xperia ray comes up with a factory installed screenshot taker. The thing you have to do is that open up whatever you want to take screenshot on your phone, then press and hold the power/lock physical key of your xperia ray for 3 seconds, and there you can see that a menu will popup with an option to take screenshot. Just tap that option and the screenshot will be taken automatically. Later you can find that screenshot images on your gallery in the "pictures" folder.

MOST NEEDED APPS FOR XPERIA RAY

So, after getting the XPERIA RAY here is the list of the MOST NEEDED apps to be installed on the phone. If you are wondering on HOW TO INSTALL APPS on the XPERIA RAY! then the answer is ANDROID MARKET, RENAMED to be PLAY STORE. PLAY STORE is available on your first menu screen of your XPERIA RAY by default.

Here is the MOST NEEDED APPS list for the XPERIA RAY:

1. File Manager ( Rhythm Software )

As th XPERIA RAY don't come with a pre installed file manager, this file manager will allow you to access your files and directory structures from your storage. File Manager ( Rhythm Software ) is for FREE DOWNLOAD on the PLAY STORE.

2. Apps 2 SD

Apps 2 SD is another app you will be needing while operating your new XPERIA RAY. This software allows you to MOVE APPS FROM PHONE MEMORY TO SD CARD safely and easily. APPS 2 SD also allows you to clear the cache memory that the apps occupies on the phone memory. You can DOWNLOAD the free version on PLAY STORE for FREE. For the Pro Version you have to buy it.

3. Opera Mini

On the matter of browsers, I will prefer you to use the Opera Mini web browser on your XPERIA RAY. Thats why I have added this browser on the list of MOST NEEDED APPS list on the XPERIA RAY. It is also FREE to DOWNLOAD on PLAY STORE.

XPERIA RAY DETAILS and WHAT'S BEST!

Alright, so after getting my Xperia Ray I realized that it is the best smart phone in its price tag. The first thing I noticed about this phone is that its screen clarity. Its a midget version of the rather excellent XPERIA Arc. XPERIA RAY is as fast as the Hayabusa, no lags no matter how much widgets you are using on your home screens. Also the live wallpapers adds to the beauty of the SONY bravia engine integrated display. If you are thinking about a android phone on a smaller budget XPERIA RAY will be best for you. Here are the main technical specification of this mini bomb:

Network
GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900
HSDPA 850, 1900, 2100

Screen
LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16 million colors
480 x 854 pixels, 3.2 inches
Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Bravia Mobile engine
Multi-touch input method
Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
Touch sensitive controls

Weight & Dimension
100 g (including battery)
(111 x 53 x 9.4) mm

Memory & Processor
Unlimited entries: with multiple contact storage entries
Internal memory: 300 MB
Expansion slot: microSD up to 32 GB, 4GB included
1GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Snapdragon chipset

Data Service & Connectivity
GPRS
EDGE
HSDPA 10.2 Mbps
HSUPA 1.8 Mbps
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth
microUSB v2.0

Ringtones
MP3, Polyphonic
Vibration

Camera
8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels
Auto-focus, LED flash
Geo-tagging, Image stabilization
Video recording: 720p
Second camera: for video call

Battery
Standard battery: Li-Ion 1500 mAh
Stand by time up to: 430 h (GSM), 440 h (HSDPA) h
Talk time up to: 6 h 50 min (GSM), 7 h (HSDPA) h

Others
Android v2.3 Gingerbread. Surely it will get the OFFICIAL ICE CREAM SANDWICH UPDATE.
SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM
HTML
GPS with A-GPS support
Google Maps
Google apps
Organizer
Document viewer
TrackID music recognition
SensMe
Voice memo/dial
Predictive text input
Digital compass
SNS integration
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Music player: MP4, H.263, H.264, MP3, eAAC+, WMA, WAV