Telekommunikation: Replacing my iPhone by a Android Smartphone: Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

Gehört zu: Mobil-Telefon, Android, SmartPhone
Siehe auch: Mein Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, Android flashen

Replacing my iPhone by a Android Smartphone: Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

My Situation: iPhone fallen into water

My beloved iPhone 5S has accitentally fallen into water for some 3-4 seconds.
As a result the iPhone is definitly DEAD and the only Apple Solution possible is the use the Apple Change Service i.e. pay EUR 200 for a replacement.
I chosed not to to this but to understand this accident as my chance to move to Android.

My Requirements

Lookig for a quick replacement for my brocken iPhone, I first put together my top requirements:

  • Form factor should be “flat back side”   (in order to be able to attach the phone to my astronomical equipment)
  • Size of display max 5 inches
  • the battary should be replacable
  • must have a slot for a SD card  (min. 64 GB)
  • must have a USB host (or OTG) slot
  • must have good sensors: magnetometer, gyroscope,….   (for astronomical positioning at celestial bodies, must have some way to calibrate)
  • should be “waterproof”
  • as a matter of course: Internal storage min. 16 GB, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, LTE,…
  • astronomical apps with Polar finder / Polar alignment

 My Short List and my evaluation

  • Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
  • Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
  • HTC One Mini 2
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
  • ….

The HTC was excluded first.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini was favoured because of the replaceable battery, but it did not support USB OTG, which is a NO-GO for me.
At the end, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact was choosen although is does not have a “replaceable” battery but it fits best with all the other requirements and the built-in battery is reported to be very good and some replacement by a specialized shop should be possible.

Shopping 21.4.2015

In Hamburg I found the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact at “Saturn” for EUR 279, but they did not have it in stock.
At the “Media Markt” shop in Hamburg the Z1 Compact was also on the shelves with the same price tag.
On my way from “Saturn” to the subway station Jungfernstieg  I passed through the “Europa Passage” where I found a Cyberport store which had the Z1 Compact in stock and sold it for EUR 272 (21.4.2015).

First Steps

  1. Charge the Z1 for 2 hours
  2. configure WiFi connection
  3. Insert the Micro SIM card (from the iPhone) – this was a some what complicated procedure, since Sony’s documentation was bad, and only hints from the Internet helped after all.
  4. Configure Email account  (IMAP at Strato)
  5. In order to access Googles Play Store: establish a general Google account for this device. I used the account I had already on my old Android tablet the Acer Tab A500. This allows me use reuse Apps on the new Z1 Compact
  6. Google Play Store: Download “CardDAV Sync free
  7. Create CardDAV account for my addressbook, which I host internally on my WHS2011 Home Server with Baikal. Synchronize “one way”. This populates the standard Android contacts with my Baikal contact addresses. So the only “extra” piece of software is that “sync piece”. After that the rest is Android standard.
  8. Test the integration of the these new contacts with the Android email App. It works, the email App uses the Contacts when writing new messages….
  9. Google Play Store: Download “CalDAV Sync”   (not free, but was already boughdroid tablet with the same Google account)
  10. Create CalDAV account for my calendars, which I host internally on my WHS2011 Home Server with Baikal. Synchronize “one way”. This populates the standard Android calendar with my Baikal calendar entries. So the only “extra” piece of software is that “sync piece”. After that the rest is Android standard.
  11. Test the integration of the Android calendar App with the contacts. It works, the calendar App offers the contacts when creating new “invites”.
  12. Google Play Store: Webradio App “TuneIn
  13. Configure the pre-installed “WhatsApp” with the same telephone number I had on my broken iPhone. WhatsApp detcted that and reported I have now 7 free months remaining (out of the initial 12 free months)
  14. Google Play Store: “WiFi Manger”   (in order to see all the WiFi/WLANs in my neibourhood)    —> Widget ???
  15. Configure the pre-installed “OneDrive
  16. With OneDrive I have access to my Excel-, Word- and PowerPoint documents. OneDrives asks me to install “Office Mobile” what I did…..
  17. Google Play Store: App “Skype
  18. Configure pre-installed App “Evernote“. Sony and Deutsche Telekom (my SIM car) where so kind to gant me a a 12 months premium account for free. But this resulted in a new Evernote account, based on my Goolge ID on that phone. I got an email that allowd me to configure a password for that new Evernote account.
  19. In order to use the Evernote premium account, I exported all my Evernote Notebooks from my “normal” Evernote account and subsequently imported them into the new Evernote premium account  (don’t forget synchronisation….)
  20. Bought a new SD card for the Z1 Compact: SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-I  with 64 GB capacity and a speed “up to” 60 MB/s   (on reading, I assume – and 40 MB/s for writing says the small print)
  21. Bought a protective cover “Slim Office Case VM-361” by “V-Desgn”  www.vdde.eu ) for the brand new Xperia Z1 Compact
  22. Google Play Store download: astronomical App “SyEye
  23. Google Play Store update: “Google Maps
  24. Google Play Store download: astronomical App “Google Sky Maps
  25. Google Play Stroe download: Adobe Acrobat DC PDF Reader   (Adobe ID ?)
  26. Pre-installed App Box.net: login with existing account
  27. Google Play Store download: Dropbox. Login with existing account. Activate camera upload.
  28. Google Play Store download: Yahoo Messenger. Login with existing account
  29. Google Play Store download: Mediencenter Telekom. Login with existing account
  30. Google Play Store download: Fritz!App Fon   ……
  31. Google Play Store download: Lufthansa  ….
  32. Google Play Store download: My WebDAV (WebDAV Client)
  33. Google Play Store download: APOD Concentric Sky, Inc.
  34. Google Play Store download: Shazam
  35. Google Play Store download: Sternatlas
  36. Google Play Store download: SkyView Free
  37. Google Play Store download: The Night Sky Free
  38. Google Play Store download: ZDFmediathek
  39. Google Play Store download: Zattoo TV App: Live     –> they want a registratione, why ????
  40. Google Play Store download: LED Studio Clock / Gorgy Timing AtomUhr
  41. Google Play Store download: SkySafari Plus by Simulation Curiculum Corp.    EUR 11,98   —> Problem: display freezes when below horizon
  42. Google Play Store download: StauMobil
  43. Google Play Store: mytaxi                                            —-> Login ????????
  44. Google Play Store: Twitter,   login with existing account
  45. Google Play Store Speedtest
  46. Google Play Store: TV Programm Manager Telekom Deutschland
  47. Google Play Store: Inselradio Mallorca
  48. Google Play Store: RegenRadar wetteronline
  49. Google Play Store: Trainings
  50. Google Play Store: Cisco WebEx Meetings
  51. Google Play Store: NDR Radio
  52. Google Play Store: Google Earth
  53. Google Play Store: Caroussel     (shows photos from Dropbox)
  54. Google Play Store: finanzblick     (Login ????)
  55. Google Play Store: Stuffle   – der mobile Flohmarkt
  56. Google Play Store: Blogger    – Login with existing account
  57. Google Play Store: Flipboard
  58. Google Play Store: WordPress  – Login with existing account & Selbstgehostete Blogs……
  59. Google Play Stroe: PlayMemories Mobile  (Sony)   for ssart remot controooo f my ony NEX 5R
  60. Google Play Store: TV Pro   –    Fenshprogramm
  61. Google Play Store: Save TV
  62. Google Play Store: DHL Paket
  63. Google Play Store: Tagesschau
  64. Google Play Store: PlugPlayer   EUR 3,99    TEST
  65. Google Play Store: Leo Wörterbuch
  66. Google Play Store: Home Talk – Telekom Deutschland
  67. Google Play Store: Flickr   Login with exisiting Yahoo account
  68. Google Play Store:  Gut Kaden  Golf Club     ––> Dieser Golf Club ist nicht für Android aktiviert
  69. Google Play Store: DB Navigator
  70. Google Pay Store: FinanzAssist   (Cosmos Lebensversicherung)
  71. Google Play Store: OnlineManager   (Telekom Deutschland)
  72. Google Play Store: XING – Ihr Business Netzwerk
  73. Google Play Store: Skat  – Isar Interactive GmbH & Co. KG
  74. Google Play Store: AIMP – Music Player
  75. Google Play Store: Travel & Surf (Telekom Deutschland)
  76. Google Play Store: ARTE
  77. Google Play Store: Fing – Network Tools
  78. Google Play Store: WiFi XYZ
  79. Google Play Store: TeamViewer für Fernsteuerung
  80. Google Play Store: WiFi Mobilize  (Deutsche telekom)
  81. Google Play Srore: Maverick GPS Navigation
  82. Google Play Store: VLC  Video Player
  83. Google Play Store: ifconfig  (show TCP/IP)
  84. Google Play Store: Solitaire –  (by Ken Magic)
  85. Google Play Store: barcoo & QR Scanner   (checkitmobile >GmbH)
  86. Google Play Store: Total Commander – Dateimanager
  87. Google Play Store: UPnPlay  –  Streaming Client
  88. Google Play Store: AndSMB – Samba Client
  89. Google Play Store: ClockSync  by Sergey Baranov
  90. Google Play Store: Ghost Commander     –  plus some Plugins
  91. Google Play Store: ES File Explorer
  92. Google Play Store: SQLite Manager (by John Li)
  93. Google Play Store: CrashPlan   – Backup
  94. Google Play Store: GPSies  (by Klaus Bechthold)
  95. Google Play Store: Cocktail Flow
  96. apkshare:  JustPictures!
  97. Google Play Store: Spiegel Online
  98. Google Play Store: Flickr    (dopelt?)
  99. apkshare: GPS Status
  100. apkshare: PowerAmp Music Player (Trial) & PowerAmp Full Version Unlocker
  101. Google Play Store: EagleEye  –> Shows local photos on SD card by folder, shows IPTC caption with photos