Didn't mention it is necessary, but I had issues with the android.media kept on crashing on me (like, once every second for 6 or 7 times in a row - which is VERY ANNOYING!), so I did a factory reset (option within the firmware, not a hardware, press multiple buttons at one go type reset). Now I am good. Very good.....

erm.... alcohol will most likely completely wipe off the coating, if it is alcohol soluble. Are you sure it is an anti-reflective coating? How do you know it is wearing out? Is it peeling off? Your photo not very clear actually. It looked like a layer of oil on the lens. If that's the case, then a simple wash with soapy water under running water should clean it up. The ZR is waterprood anyway....

I don't think so. At most, they will change the entire camera module. That's my guess lah. I could very well be wrong.

I didn't get the original Sony charging dock coz is kinda expensive for me. So in the end, I bought 2 units of 3rd party charging docks and 2 original Sony batteries, off eBay. I just keep the original battery that came with the phone as standby and used the 2 new batteries I got (coming from eBay, I could never be 100% sure it is original Sony units, although it looks EXACTLY the same as my original battery, minus the SIRIM sticker). I put one dock in my office, and another dock in my home so whenever I am in the office or at home, I just dump the ZR into the dock and leave it there. The upshot of the 3rd party dock I have is that it has an additional slot at the back to charge an additional battery so I can charge my phone AND the extra battery at the same time. And all this for the price of the original Sony dock....

Yup. I am not a fan of a powerbank connected to my phone via a USB cable. Prefer to have a spare battery standing by. Battery runs out, just swap a new battery in and voila, 100% battery level all over again.

Mine was updated over the air. I downloaded via my home's wifi. To be honest, the phone had became so much of a work horse for me that I didn't bother checking what this new update is all about. I still use the phone as it is without any issues. Need to monitor battery issue, but it seems pretty normal now.

Like I said, it is a work horse, something I just turn on and use.... not a gadget anymore. Just.... use it.

Add-on:

Did a bit of searching and found this changelog for the firmware update:

Upgrade to Android 4.4.4
Better battery performance in some background applications
Email stability & performance enhanced
General improvements to MMS, Calendar, Wifi, Contacts & More
All of our latest bug fixes and enhancements

Sweet!

OK, a few days of testing. The 4.4.4 does seems to be more energy efficient than 4.4.2. Seems to be good news thus far.