I have been using an iPhone for almost 2 years now and I've had it up to here (imagine my shaking my right hand wildly above my bald head). I feel locked in, I feel like I don't have the ability to customize the operating system, I feel... I just feel like it's time for a change.It was with this in mind that I decided to start seeking out phones I could test. Sony were the first bunch to be kind enough to send me a device to test.I received the Sony Xperia Z Ultra (XZU from here on out) along with the Sony Smart Watch 2.

First impressions last

This phone is absolutely massive. Unexpectedly and absolutely massive. Going from the iPhone 4S to this is an incredibly shift.I'm not entirely convinced that I like it but with that said browsing on the XZU is fantastic. The only real issue I have is how much of an idiot I appear to be when I hold up this boat to my face to answer a call.

In the pocket

I took the plunge and entered the wild world with the XZU. The phablet (I don't think I'll ever get used to that word) barely fits into my pocket. Having the XZU in my pocket makes riding a Vespa to work extremely challenging. The earphone jack is situated on the side of the device which for me is problematic. I have my phone in my pocket all day and much of that is on a bike or walking around with earphones plugged in. If the jack is on the side of the phone, it pokes me in the leg (especially when seated). I'd rather have it at the top like the iPhone.I have had two meetings today. Both meetings I tried my hardest to keep the phone in my pocket and make use of the Sony Smart Watch that I've been given. But alas, I don't feel happy calling a watch smart if all it can do is display information when tethered to my phablet via bluetooth. Maybe it's an expectation management issue, but I wanted my watch to actually be smart. For me that means that I can leave the phone somewhere, like at home, and go for a run but still access things via the cloud. This would require a sim card and data bundle. But that's what I was hoping for. Colour me disappointed.Back to the meetings. In spite of wanting to check email, twitter and instagram I was fearful that I would be mocked if I pulled out the XZU boat. So I kept it in the pocket.People are significantly more polite to me than I would be. Both meetings, when I eventually did have the guts to pull the phab-let out my pocket, gave it a look and enquired about the size of my device, politely. Both however commented that it was the largest device they'd ever seen and weren't sure they'd know what to do with a device this big.How big I hear you ask? Let me show you a side by side of the XZU and my iPhone 4S:

Ultimately the size of this device is just unmanageable for me. I'd love to say, as Andy Gilder mentioned, that phones just aren't for making phone calls any more but I can't. I want my phone to fit in my pocket, receive phone calls and, at the same time, not make me look like I'm holding up a black box flight recorder in case of emergency.This device has the potential to please many, many enthusiasts; it's thin, light, immensely powerful and fast, has a great screen that is large and in charge and it even looks sleek and well built. For my practical day to day use this phone just wont make me one of the many enthusiasts that it will please.