I want answers to all my questions.

Hello, I have bought W810i recently. I am a newbie who does not know anything nor understands anything the topics discussed here. Someone, probably the admins, please be kind enough to answer my questions patiently:
1. What is firmware? Is it an OS for mobiles?
2. Does my SE phone contain a (factory setting) firmware?
3. If so, what is the advantage of upgrading? Are upgrades released
or authorized or recommended by SE company?
4. Can additional tools not be installed without upgrading firmware? Why
can't these patches (additional tools?) be available and installed as
Java apps?
5. Are these patches released by the SE company itself? Is it safe to
install them or may they damper the instrument?
Please, give explanations. You may email your answers to
shankarkvp@rediffmail.com

Thank you!

SonyEricsson Hardware and Firmware Definitions! - Top Sony Forums

The firmwire is sorta like the OS, its made up of 2 parts FS and MAIN.
Firmware has two parts:
1. FS: It contains languages, images, sounds, animations, settings, etc. Anything that isn't pure software.
2. Main: It contains the software.

So the main is more to do with the OS.

SE makes the firmwires, but other companys insert all there logo's on to the firmwires, thats why we DEBrand our mobiles so its like the original Sony Ericsson phone how it came out of the company. - Thats one of the advantages of flashing a GENERIC firmwire.

Patches can only be installed on Debranded/Generic firmwires, patches are not created by SE but by users of Sony ericsson.