[Xperia Z Accessories] Chief Geek:
I bought numerous docks off amazon. They all are coming from China so I figured I'd order a few from different places and see what happens. Estimated delivery on the first dock was end of October and I recieved it the 19th of Sept.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7VDPQ0/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_6

I got two from these guys and they are awesome. Very basic and simple, but the phone seats nice and snuggly with a full Skinomi CF skin applied and SP on front. They come with a somewhat short cable. They do not have a weight inside to give them that sturdy heavy feel, but this doesnt bother me, gives them a cheap feel but when you think that a chunk of pot metal inside means nothing then it's easy to accept. I have a few more coming in due time but so far I am very happy with these. They come in Black, White, and Purple. I ordered two black. I keep one on the night side stand and one beside my recliner. I will update with photos if there is any interest and also update with other docks as they come trickling in.

So on to the what we do with them part. This all started when I read the DIY dock topic. I built one and boy did it suck. So I said screw it, $15 and I can have one. I just wanted to charge without having to pick at that dump little flap with my gorilla hands but once I got to realize the possibilities it went crazy from there. I originally started with Sonys built in Smart Connect app but quickly outgrew it within an hour as I expected more and more out of it so I went back to an app I havnt used in years, Tasker. Smart connect is decent if you want some basic to mid level routines executed though. I had it set to

When Docked Between 1800 to 0600=Turn on BT>Connect to BT speaker>Launch Lightening Bug app> lower phone and notification volumes>Brightness to 50%

At End=Read Time>Raise all volumes to Max>Brightness to 100%>BT Off

Plus other variations on the above based on times (which covered if I was docked at bed or by chair)

However the Lightening bug app still kept going which is annoying since there is no (as far as i know) kill option for the at end. Tasker can be simple or complex, depending how far you want to push it. Im playing with plugins now trying to get it to recognize the dock state. Thoughts? Anyone else get a bit nutty with automating routines? Is this being discussed elsewhere and I need to STFU and go away?

**Edited title since I have more to add after getting spun up on tasker last night.

So I know there are others far more versed in the ways of Tasker than I, but I havnt seen any real discussions. Here's what I set up last night.

My Profiles (Think of as conditions to be met that trigger tasks)

And these are my tasks, or actions. When a Profile is met, such as phone docked, then the linked task will be executed.

So the profile Dock Night (obvious bad pun intended), named because I plan to set up other dock profiles for work based on either time or location or other variable. Dock Desk Dock is the condition that must me met. Dock Desk is what and the second Dock means in rather than out of the dock. When this profile is met it runs the Night Dock task, which is a series of predefined actions. Lets look at those.

This one is very simple one once you know where to look for all the right pieces. I had to download a plugin for Tasker called Locale Dock Condition that easily allows tasker to see and work with dock states.

When inserted into dock it will:

Lower notification volume (3/7) for those middle of the night emails and texts

Sets brightness to Auto

Speaks outloud text indicating its in dock mode, something i admittedly threw in just to hear it.

Turns on BT which inturn connects to my BT speaker by the bed.

Loads App that plays the sounds for night time and locks display on for clock.

All of this happens nearly instantly and is awesome for not having to do stuff constantly. I have others that when you turn the display on it snaps a picture giving me a album full of selfies but the occasional shot of someone looking at my phone, usually wife. And others for when the passcode is entered wrongly. 2 times it snaps severals pictures and auto uploads to drop box. 5 wrong attempts it begins recording audio for 15 minutes and this too will be uploaded to dropbox.