Well I'd certainly update the system, update all the apps, install some, and poke through the settings. there isn't root (WP8 has proven a tough nut to crack - although a jailbreak has appeared on Samsung ATIV devices at one point)
It syncs well with Windows 8.x IE and stuff. Using OneDrive would be beneficial as its the default location for automatic media uploads and it's the best integrated into Windows Phone.
The start screen is where a lot of things can go, you can pin documents from Office, individuals from people, apps of course, etc. Those can be resized is you desire. I think there's a thread on peoples start screens somewhere.
I highly recommend enrolling in the free Preview for Developers, which is an early update/enthusiast/developer/beta test which I'm sure you'd appreciate.