O2 UK will delay the XPERIA Play launch due to software issues

The so-called PlayStation phone was expected to launch with the O2 UK network on the 1st of April. But things won't be going as planned, according to Stuart Hibberd - head of O2 device testing team.

The smartphone, reportedly, has some software issues which need to be ironed out before it can hit the shelves. The delay is a precaution so that O2 customers don't end up with negative experience, Mr. Hibberd says.

The XPERIA Play was scheduled to launch with all major UK carriers on the first day of April. So far software problems have been reported only by O2, so the launch date should be kept by Vodafone and Orange. This could really end up being a bad blow for O2.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play bound for release with O2 will be an exclusive white color version so that should give the carrier at least a marginal edge.

The expected date for the actual release on O2 is a mystery so far. We hope it doesn't take too long.

Still coming to Vodafone and Orange though

O2 has said that it is delaying the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (AKA the PlayStation Phone) because, according to the operator, it’s not ready for prime time.

“As the head of O2’s device testing team, my team and I see every phone that O2 will be selling before it goes on sale. Our job, as I mentioned in my last blog post, is to make sure these phones are ready for our customers before they go on sale,” explains Stuart Hibberd, head of O2’s testing team. “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 1st as we originally planned.”

The news will be a blow to O2 customers looking to get the phone and could mean they instead end up getting the new gaming smartphone from Vodafone or Orange.

“At O2 we’re really excited about the Xperia PLAY - we announced earlier on this year that we’d be selling an exclusive white version. We want to make sure that any issues with the software are resolved before it goes on sale so we’ll be working with Sony Ericsson over the next couple of weeks and we’ll be blogging regularly to update you,” adds the company.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia was first announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February. It has been scheduled for release on 1 April.