[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] jess91:
My phone arrived a few days ago, let me provide an update and ask a few more question in bold:

- great device, very happy.

- it came with 4.4.4 (14.4.A.0.108), I'm not sure if the vendor (Expansys UK) applied updates (the unit is new but the box not sealed) or came like this from Sony. I won't root until Lollipop issues resolved, my biggest reason to root is for host file editing (Adaway)

- after peeling off the heavy duty screen protection (not ASF, the thing that comes with most you are supposed to remove) I applied a screen protector. I was going to order an Illumishield but they were too expensive (about $20 including shipping for 2 pairs of front and backs) and would take at least 10 days (probably more given time of year) to be shipped from US to UK. Instead I bought ebay 360780294389, 5 pack (fronts only) for about $4. I applied the first one, no problems, screen looks good, not too shiny. I have not removed the plastic layer (with instructions) on the back, I thought about applying one of my screen protectors on the back but these are somewhat firm plastic, I presume the ones intended for back are more flexible/different?

- I've placed the phone in a case (and so the back protection should be OK). I do not recommend 121248924363, it may work if you straighten out the back and use glue to stick the rubber and plastic pieces together but overall it felt like something from a dollar store. I recommend ebay 181400289992. This won't protect against heavy bashing but provides good feel in hand and scratch/slip protection to the back without being too thick. I had to widen the magnetic charging port, it would not accommodate the plug. I am using the cable removed from genuine Sony DK30. After much thought, I went with this over Magnector for peace of mind. No brand cheap stuff off ebay for some accessories are fine, I would never risk it with batteries, chargers, etc. The cable would fairly easily come loose without the case, with the case it's really good and only comes off when I want it to. With the case it won't fit the dock (even with the wider case option) so you would have to sandpaper it to make it wider. I will order another DK30 and take the cable out to have a second cable.

If I use the phone more like a tablet at home/office, is it better to keep it plugged in (fully charged) or unplug/run down and charge back up again? Also, is it possible to switch off the green LED signalling charge above 90%?

Somewhat related, must the power button really be used to wake device? I was expecting tapping on screen would do it. Power button is a bit difficult to hit with the case.

I installed a few apps from Google Play, mostly from the big players. Is it safe to assume all apps have been vetted properly? (like Apple store) Some apps require access to things that don't make any sense, so I avoid them. Also, when an app has access to certain things e.g. SD media card read/write, am I correct this is always restricted to the sandbox of the app and not full system/card wide?

I will be migrating my web surfing from PC to ZU. On PC, I've used Firefox with various add-ons and, most importantly, an edited hosts file for over 5 years now. For hosts file, it seems Adaway simplifies the manual editing but all this requires root. For now, I'll put up with ads, need to read up still on rooting. Having been a long time FF user, I tried the Android app but was disappointed it is noticeable slower to load pages and does not scroll smootly like Chrome. I tried Puffin which seemed OK, quiet fast. I have not tried Dolphin or Opera which seem to be the other big ones but I have a feeling I'll keep using Chrome. It seems most optimized, in a way it feels like part of the OS and not "an app" on top.

Chrome doesn't support add-ons, which I thought would be a deal breaker but thinking about it almost all of my FF add-ons on PC are to undo the functionality lost over the years with FF updates- mostly looks, so not relevant to Chrome on Android. At this stage, the biggest miss is my Youtube experience for which I used GreaseMonkey scripts on FF PC. The Youtube app plays videos fine but the interaction is so minimalist- no comments, can't easily jump from a video to user page, etc. Playing video via Chrome results in very choppy quality.

After about 10 hours of web browsing with Chrome, my biggest annoyances (besides the adds I will address with root later) is not being able to make the "request dekstop site" option stick. With a display size this big in widescreen mode, I find almost always prefer the original site over mobile versions or apps. I like the notification function from apps, but wish it could be represented in widgets like tiles on Windows. But, in general both apps and mobile look a bit childish on the ZU.

Is Chrome generally the best overall experience on the ZU? I'm particularly interested in non-Chrome fans, like FF users on PC. I have heard hit & miss things about Dolphin and Opera, I will probably try them in a few days but interested in the community view.

I have to find a way to get my bookmarks and passwords from PC to ZU. I see a few opions, I don't want to do this via sync so I would probably go via SD card.

2 misc questions:

The Google search widget: I thought when I tried this in the store, clicking on the search box (not the microphone) brought up the keyboard on top of the home screen (not a full new screen). Am I misremembering?

The charger (EP880) whines already. I'm used to chargers eventually whining after some months but not from day 1. Is it just mine or are they all like this?