O2 delays adoption of Xperia Play over software issues

UK network O2 has delayed its adoption of the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Play thanks to a number of software bugs discovered when testing the handset.

A post on O2's blog explained the situation, which will mean that the O2 edition of the phone won't launch alongside other networks on April 1.

"Sometimes we discover bugs and issues on a phone," said head of O2's testing team Stuart Hibberd. "This is perfectly normal - bugs can appear in every form of software. When we discover these issues we work with our phone manufacturer partners to fix them and make sure that O2 customers will have the best possible experience when they use their phone.

"This is what has happened with the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY. We've been testing the phone non-stop for weeks and have found some bugs in the software that, if they're not fixed, means customers won't have a great experience.

"We've been working with Sony Ericsson to get these bugs ironed out, but haven't been able to get them fixed in time for us to be able to launch the phone on April 1 as we originally planned."

Official details of the handset were unveiled at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona in February. Twenty publishers and fifty games were confirmed for launch.

Update.

Sony Ericsson's PR agency has since issued a statement on the issue.

"Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY will be launching on April 1 across all UK mobile operator partners except for O2, who have decided to prolong the testing period in order to ensure that the software meets the requirements of its procedures.

"Sony Ericsson will be working with O2 over the next couple of weeks to expedite the process and ensure that O2 customers can soon join consumers across the UK in being able to enjoy the world's first PlayStation certified smartphone."