Got my XZU last Saturday and decided today to keep it. Being long out of the Sony-world (last was an XS, now coming from a Find 5), I've got some questions. I'm also going to search for the infos, but I feel a single thread for "my stuff" makes it easier for me, so please be kind.
So, for the current state, here's the device's information.
- Sony Xperia Z Ultra (C6833), black
- running on Vodafone DE
- Android version 4.2.2
- Baseband version 8974-AAAAANAZQ-10220006-09
- Kernel 3.4.0-perf-gde8296d-02194-ga2561a5
- Build 14.1.B.1.510
- The device shows me an update to 14.2.A.1.136
Questions:
1) Do Sony's official updates only update Android + Sony Apps or are there also firmware updates included?
2) I want to root and install a custom ROM, should I start from the current build or should I upgrade to $something first?
3) I've read that KitKat is restricting SDcard usage for non-system apps. Do custom 4.4 ROMs work around this(,yet) or should I update to 4.3 max?
4) I probably won't use the camera much, if at all, still, most custom ROMs can't get the camera quality on a level the stock ROM has, so how bad is it on this device?
5) is the PowerCover CP12 available somewhere in the EU? It's "out of stock" in all big shops I looked at in .de,.at,.ch and the Twitter-Team wasn't really helpful. Ordering from outside the EU would be possible, but pretty much guaranteed to get stuck at the customs where the next office is ~50km away and doesn't have work-friendly times at all.
6) About screen protectors: a) can I apply them over the shatter shield and if so b) will input by pens or something still work on a decent level?
7) is there a prefered solution of recoveries on this device or does it not matter at all, if I'd choose CWM or TWRP(or is there something else entirely)?
8) are there known problems in general with custom ROMs regarding external hardware? I'd like to use my "SmartWireless Headset Pro", my "SmartWatch (1)" and TV-Out
That's it for now, thanks for any help
So, for the current state, here's the device's information.
- Sony Xperia Z Ultra (C6833), black
- running on Vodafone DE
- Android version 4.2.2
- Baseband version 8974-AAAAANAZQ-10220006-09
- Kernel 3.4.0-perf-gde8296d-02194-ga2561a5
- Build 14.1.B.1.510
- The device shows me an update to 14.2.A.1.136
Questions:
1) Do Sony's official updates only update Android + Sony Apps or are there also firmware updates included?
2) I want to root and install a custom ROM, should I start from the current build or should I upgrade to $something first?
3) I've read that KitKat is restricting SDcard usage for non-system apps. Do custom 4.4 ROMs work around this(,yet) or should I update to 4.3 max?
4) I probably won't use the camera much, if at all, still, most custom ROMs can't get the camera quality on a level the stock ROM has, so how bad is it on this device?
5) is the PowerCover CP12 available somewhere in the EU? It's "out of stock" in all big shops I looked at in .de,.at,.ch and the Twitter-Team wasn't really helpful. Ordering from outside the EU would be possible, but pretty much guaranteed to get stuck at the customs where the next office is ~50km away and doesn't have work-friendly times at all.
6) About screen protectors: a) can I apply them over the shatter shield and if so b) will input by pens or something still work on a decent level?
7) is there a prefered solution of recoveries on this device or does it not matter at all, if I'd choose CWM or TWRP(or is there something else entirely)?
8) are there known problems in general with custom ROMs regarding external hardware? I'd like to use my "SmartWireless Headset Pro", my "SmartWatch (1)" and TV-Out
That's it for now, thanks for any help