multiple Tablet Z questions

[Dick_W]

Got my Tablet Z on Saturday to replace a Toshiba Excite 10. Biggest reason for the Xperia Tablet Z was weight (finally Sony does a tablet Sony Style...) Biggest concern with the Xperia Tablet Z is heavily skinned Android and an expectation/fear that Sony will not support Android/follow the changes to it in a timely way. This is a premium priced tablet. Doesn't seem like too much to ask. My benchmark for supporting Android is my Galaxy Nexus... Maybe AOSP? Anyway, on to why I'm posting:

Some questions:

• Chrome bookmarks always opens to Mobile bookmarks / Sony--any way to change besides deleting Sony folder?
• Email delete always confirms--any way to turn off?
• Backup & restore says it can backup to the cloud--really? how?
• had to disable the shipped Calendar app and install Google Calendar to get latest Calendar features--so sad...
• using Smart Connect View event as shipped: it starts SensMe when dropped in the cradle; but when I remove tablet from cradle, TuneIn Radio is current running app--why??!?
• any way to soft reset it? what's the thing that looks like a switch between the USB port and the serial number barcodes?

Bonus:

• (probably rhetorical) I've read about a "timely" update to 4.2--4.2 has been out for almost nine months, wouldn't "timely" have been at first ship?

• white paper for devs lists "eCompass" app but can't find...--what is eCompass?
• white paper lists "Google Wallet" app but isn't installed/won't work--guessing this is a WiFi vs. LTE tablet issue?!?

Thanks in advance for any info!

[MarlonUk1]

Dick_W wrote:
Biggest concern with the Xperia Tablet Z is heavily skinned Android and an expectation/fear that Sony will not support Android/follow the changes to it in a timely way.

well, hate to burst your bubble, but most sony update came late.

Chrome bookmarks always opens to Mobile bookmarks / Sony--any way to change besides deleting Sony folder?

you mean the bookmarks? or the homepage? you can change your homepage by going to browser>settings>general.

Email delete always confirms--any way to turn off?

- what email client are you using? try going to the settings and see if there are options to change, and be aware that if sync is active and you deleted an email on your computer, it would also delete it on the phone.

Backup & restore says it can backup to the cloud--really? how?

http://www.knowyourmobile.com/sony/sony-xperia-z/19733/how-backup-and-restore-data-your-sony-xperia-...

had to disable the shipped Calendar app and install Google Calendar to get latest Calendar features--so sad...

i guess you solved your problem

using Smart Connect View event as shipped: it starts SensMe when dropped in the cradle; but when I remove tablet from cradle, TuneIn Radio is current running app--why??!?

try to see the settings on the app, you can remove or disable the the app from firing up when removed from the dock.

any way to soft reset it? what's the thing that looks like a switch between the USB port and the serial number barcodes?

settings>privacy>settings reset

this might help you. Xperia™ Tablet Z User guide (2 MB), Xperia™ Tablet Z White paper (537 kB)

(probably rhetorical) I've read about a "timely" update to 4.2--4.2 has been out for almost nine months, wouldn't "timely" have been at first ship?

the tablet was designed and made 9 months before the release of 4.2, so i guess they stick to 4.1 than to change everything at last moments. sony has been struggling with "timely" updates,

white paper for devs lists "eCompass" app but can't find...--what is eCompass?

some apps are not available on all market areas, you may try searching on google play.

white paper lists "Google Wallet" app but isn't installed/won't work--guessing this is a WiFi vs. LTE tablet issue?!?

nope ,same reason above.

[Dick_W]

You didn't "burst my bubble". After owning Sony PCs for years and doing DD on Sony and Android I sorta know what I'm getting into with Sony ("Oh, you actually logged in and installd an app? Well, we only support it fresh out of the box.") I just hope (naive?) that they will do better on Android going forward.

Chrome bookmarks means just that. Bookmarks in Chrome. Everytime I change to the Bookmarks page, it opens to Bookmarks > Mobile Bookmarks > Sony. This is a folder of bookmarks I didn't even create. It's Sony marketing and support for ninnies. I want it to go back to the bookmarks folder I was last in. Maybe I just have to delete it?

What Email client? Email. The stock (well, skinned by Sony for the Tablet Z) Android POP/IMAP client. It's called Email.

Referenced Backup & restore article never mentions how to backup to the cloud. Menu Help in Backup & restore on a Tablet Z says "Backup your data to an external USB storage or to the Cloud, to keep it safe." But there doesn't appear to be a way to select a Cloud store (Google Drive, SkyDrive, Dropbox...)

TuneIn Radio has no settings that appear to have anything to do with events, dock or otherwise. The Sony SmartConnect packed onto the Tablet Z app does, however, appear to be involved since this is where I found the (configured OOB) event that starts the slideshow on docking. There's no "end action" specified for the "View" event in SmartConnect. And yet TuneInRadio starts every time I undock. Why I'm asking.

Settings|Security|Backup and Reset|Factory Data Reset only works if the thing is not hung. If the thing isn't hung, who needs a Soft Reset? Already read both the User's Guide and the White Paper. Neither describe how to force a soft reset.

The Tablet Z was designed and made 9 months before release of 4.2? Really? The Tablet Z was only announced world wide 2/25/13 near as I can tell. That was already four months after 4.2 and the tablet was only first sold in most markets within the last several weeks. Now I understand that there is some time from completion to ship and all that, but you are suggesting the OS went in the can for the Tablet Z 17 months ago.

The only eCompass app in Play Store has 100+ downloads. Not sure that's what the white paper was referring to... Not knowing what it was referring to is why I was asking.

Google Wallet can be installed. Just it won't work. Says "Unfortunately, Google Wallet is not yet available for your device or mobile network."

[Dick_W]

The Sony bookmarks folder appears to be well and truly embedded. You can't rename or delete it and it doesn't sync to another Chrome where you might want to try renaming it or deleting it. Stuff like this is what is killing Windows. It's my tablet, not Sony's. If I want to delete a bookmarks folder, I should be able to do that...

[MarlonUk1]

1. chrome bookmarks, i got no idea, might as well try to delete

2. i see, and there are no settings to remove confirmation before delete? then its just the normal way to have it, like a failsafe in case you accidentally deleted an important email.

3. do you have a drive account stored on your phone?

4.have you tried to disable tune radio?

5. same as 3.

6. you asked "any way to soft reset it?"

7.Xperia tablet Z

Announced	2013, February
Status	Available. Released 2013, May

and the 4.2 was released around november 2012,

from the time the 4.2 was made they already might have all tablet z  with the 4.1 version, if they changed that to 4.2 the announcement and availabilty might been pushed alot more late, and it does not mean that if an andoroid version is released it would be available to all OEM, they still have to do a lot of things so that the update will be released on their devices. http://www.androidcentral.com/why-you-ll-never-have-latest-version-android

8. about the apps, just as i have said they may not be available to all market areas,.

[Dick_W]

Tried deleting Sony bookmarks. No Joy. Adds extra steps every time I want to use a bookmark. Pissing your remaining customers off in hopes of a few web hits doesn't seem a smart strategy for a money- and market share- losing company.

I can't find a setting to kill the confirm delete. It may be the way it is on a Sony but that's a Sony thing not shared by five or six other Android devices I've used.

Have both Google Drive and SkyDrive setup on tablet. Wondering how Backup & restore can be made to use one of them as it implies it can. Other apps on Tablet, e.g., Astro, can use them.

I installed InTune. Have not tried removing it to see if Sony-installed app then works as expected. It'd disable the Sony app first if it came to that.

Soft reset refers to forcing the tablet to reboot when it otherwise doesn't want to. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRUwepVfaqA&feature=youtube_gdata_player for how to do it on a Tablet S. Wondering how to achieve same result on a Tablet Z.

[Sam]

I will have to look into some of these issues for you however here is an answer to one of the questions:

Soft reset - same as the phones, press and hold the volume up and power buttons for about 5 seconds.

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[Dick_W]

Works a champ for soft reset. Thank, Sam. On that one. Any help on the others welcome. I did get an update on SmartConnect today. Have notvretested the InTune Radio app starting for no apparent reason when un-cradling item.