Bell Canada locked Xperia ZL gets 4.2.2 update - Observations.

[LavallavaL]

Just the 4.2.2 update for my Bell Canada locked Xperia ZL.

I'm still exploring the results, I'll append the list as I find more stuff.

Good:

- "MyXperia" phone location and data security service is now available.
- Lockscreen widgets available, if limited.
- New diagnostic app loaded by Sony.
- The "home" button bar is now color-responsive. If the home screen background is teal, home button bar is teal. In app, the bar goes black. The charcoal gray is out.


Sad:


- Lost the capability to make screenshots by holding the power button. VERY SAD
- "Walkman" and FM tuner widgets are both no-shows as lockscreen widgets
- Deactivation of Camera app on locked screen widget is probably not possible. (- Still under investigation)
- Sony's software team are desperate to push their "Car mode" app, "Sony" was taken off the name so it shows on the first page of the app drawer.
- All the bundled apps I had De-activated got re-activated.
- WhatsApp and FourSquare was installed on my phone. Never installed this. Don't know whether it's carrier sponsored, or Sony's doing. But it's ugly.
- Lockscreen sports a larger clock, on top of having slider for the camera app and widget panel access. This makes the lock-pattern pad much smaller, and difficult to use. The clock is NOT re-sizable, AFAIK.
- Camera can be now be powered and launched with the shutter button. Perfect for "kid-kodak" desk jockeys, like most of the industry's lame and incompetent reviewers. For laborers, which is still a very large demographic chunk, this phone has just become worst than it already was: A living hell of accidental, battery-draining events when keeping this device in one's pockets.

The VERY, VERY sad

Walkman software has not been updated to allow file and folder browsing for content.
Walkman software still does not have a decent playlist editing utility.
Sony, increased it's push for the "dadgummed" streaming service.
Access to something as sensitive as E-mail can be done without a login, but non-sensitive and useful stuff like music playback and radio is cut-out ? Someone did not think this through.

Things I'm not certain about:

Like most of us, some features I don't use much and some I've spent little time investigating. Amongst the following, I've found some feature I'm not certain about. These may have been there under 4.1.2, but I've just noticed them after my 4.2.2 update. So here goes:

- The "small apps" drawer seems more customizable. I started to toy around with it a little more when I noticed all app icons had changed.


Conclusion

So after all the hubbub, and reading the numerous, empty "I got it, I'm happy" series of posts all over AC, then going through with the update myself; I'll give you this piece of advice:

- If you have big fingers and use a complex lock pattern, change it to something easy prior to updating. It'll make your life easier when you try to log back on.
- Update if you feel a need for the "MyXperia" remote location and reset service, or if you insist on lockscreen widgets.
- If you don't get the update, or decide not to install it, your not missing out on much, except for the remote location and reset service.



Addendum

After some fidgeting, I've found the Walkman mini-control widget to show up on the lock screen, but only if the player was playing prior to locking. I have to test this and see what happens with Ford's Sync launches the music via BlueTooth to see what happens. Can't navigate my playlists, though.

 

[paul-c]

I've been ignoring the update since I read about Sony basically taking the quick Walkman functionality out of the lock screen. It would be cool to have the transparent on screen buttons, but I don't think it's worth losing the Walkman stuff.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ZL

 

[4mynikka]

Can anyone comment on the battery life?

 

[LavallavaL]

Can anyone comment on the battery life?

In general, not too bad if your careful. I often use the app manager to close down un-needed but still running processes and apps, and apart form a News reader app, I have very little which runs at all times. I don't do Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Google+ or any of the "social media" thing. I do not use cloud storage either, so my Wi-Fi radio is relatively quiet. I usually do my day if screen brightness @ 20%. As far as I'm concerned, I've had no noticeable change in battery life for my type of usage.

So, I don't know whether you are asking because your considering the purchase of a ZL, or if your wondering about the update because it's been written here and there that the update helps battery life, but I will volunteer this:

I still love my phone, but I feel cheated by this update. It killed a few things I loved, like the power button' screenshot option, it made my camera usable to any odd doorknob without a password or pattern. So, basically, except for the remote location service, this update stinks. I'm actually considering reseting my device to see if I can go back. Though I love the idea of having a remote location system, this can be bought with a security suite.

 

[srkmagnus]

I still love my phone, but I feel cheated by this update. It killed a few things I loved, like the power button' screenshot option, it made my camera usable to any odd doorknob without a password or pattern. So, basically, except for the remote location service, this update stinks. I'm actually considering reseting my device to see if I can go back. Though I love the idea of having a remote location system, this can be bought with a security suite.

You should be able to still take a screen shot with volume down+power buttons pressed at the same time. Regarding the camera, you can remove it from the lock screen (you probably already have) or use an app to lock/password protect the camera app from being used.



Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[LavallavaL]

You should be able to still take a screen shot with volume down+power buttons

Doesn't seem to work on my handset, unless the pictures are kept in a weird and unknown directory... Tried finding the results of that combination it in "DCIM", "images", "pictures" and all sub-folders, to no avail. It seems that I can only get a screenshot using the "small app" screenshot tool.

If you have any idea where else a "volume down+power" combo's screenshots could reside, I'm open to suggestions, even if I believe my searches where quite exhaustive.