Author: Ian Furlong

£25 off Kindle Fire purchases till 20th January

Amazon UK was voted number 1 for customer satisfaction over the Christmas period, and to celebrate, any of the Kindle Fire range can be had for £25 off list price. The offer only runs until January 20, and the discount will be applied at checkout with the use …

Try Sony’s streaming music for £3

There’s a wide selection of streaming music services here in the UK. Some are monthly subscription services and others are free but ad-supported. Now Sony have entered the fight for your listening ears by offering all the music you want for just £1 a month as part of …

New Samsung Windows phone rumours

With Mobile World Congress (MWC) fast approaching, the rumour Mill is starting to turn. Samsung, according to what we’re getting, is planning for a successor to its Ativ S Windows Phone device in the coming weeks. The upcoming Samsung device named SM-W750V will have a 5-inch 1080 x …

Tech 21 iPad Mini Screen Protector & Rear Case Review

Some time ago I reviewed the Lifeproof case for my iPad mini, which was a fully armoured case which offered  unprecedented levels of protection, and provided the much needed piece of mind while it was being used by my little boy, but with the drawback that considerable bulk was …

Android App Review – Skiplock

If you’re using today’s super powerful smartphones like me, you are now carrying everything in your pocket, your bank details, your social networks and normally some irreplaceable photo’s of loved ones. So your phone should have some kind of password/PIN/pattern/facelock protection to stop unwanted eyes to getting to the …

Cyanogen now available for existing Oppo N1

Those who purchased the Oppo N1 before the CyanogenMod news (we are talking about you here Ronnie ) will be excited to know that the official CyanogenMod ROM for the device is available to all users. As promised the official package is available for installation on any version of the Oppo …

Android 4.4.2 coming to UK Moto G’s soon

The 4.4.2 update to the Moto G was originally promised for early 2014, but Motorola says it’s “thrilled to start delivering on that promise early”. The Android 4.4.2 KitKat update is now available to Moto G handsets purchased on Motorola’s website and Amazon in the US. Motorola says the Moto …

Easily find your way around new places with WAM

I was trying to think of a whitty and informed intro to this post, just as a way to show how this app – called “WAM” (short for World Around Me”) – helps you find your feet in foreign or new places. Luckily, they’ve sent us this rather …

Update to Swiftkey Keyboard brings winter cheer.

The latest update to SwiftKey keyboard brings improvement to the installation process, but most importantly also brings a bit of winter cheer with a new keyboard theme. After switching over to the new “Ice” theme, you’ll be greeted by a deep blue background with snow-capped keys that drop …

British Airways to allow use of gadgets during takeoff/landing

British Airways is to become the first European airline to allow the use of electronic devices, including phones and tablets, during take-off and landing. Thus bringing the end to a 1960’s ruling. The decision was approved by the British Civil Aviation Authority according to a BBC report, and follows an earlier relaxation …

Improvements to Evernote’s Android app

I must admit I’m a heavy Evernote user, I use it for everything – shopping lists, I take a picture of where I park the car, and when ever I buy anything on line I always clip the receipt/order confirmation page to Evernote. An update to the Evernote app is …

Samsung officially announces GamePad

The GamePad will launch in European markets for Android phones between 4-inches and 6.3-inches, and be compatible with devices running Jelly Bean or higher with Bluetooth 3.0. It goes without saying special attention has been made to Samsung phones, and the “most convenient features optimized for Samsung Galaxy devices running …

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch under £120 at Amazon UK

If you’re looking for a good deal on an Android tablet for someone this Christmas, then Amazon might be worth a look. Currently you can pick up the white Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch for just £119.99. Sure, it’s not going to set your pants on fire, but …

Spotify reportedly adding free, ad-supported listening to mobile apps

According to the Wall Street Journal Spotify is planning free, ad-supported listening for its iOS and Android apps. In the past, Spotify has limited mobile listening to “Premium” paying members. Free, ad-supported listening was only available on desktop and laptop computers. With the policy change, non-paying listeners will …

Android Flashlight app ‘deceives’ millions

Federal Trade Commission stated GoldenShores Technologies took ID and location data from the millions using its Brightest Flashlight app. The developer shared the data with ad networks but did not tell users about this practice. To settle the charges, GoldenShores has agreed to give users more control over …

What’s new in Android 4.4.1

The new version of KitKat brings lots of smaller changes Following the first maintenance release of Android KitKat, the big news is that there are many camera fixes and enhancements for the Nexus 5, but it turns out there are also a lot of smaller changes and improvements …

Nexus 5 update to 4.4.1 now live

Improvements to the camera bugs are the focus this time around I’m really impressed with my Nexus 5, apart from one thing, the camera, don’t get me wrong the camera can take some quality photo’s, but it takes thought due to slow or sometimes two lots of focusing. …

Oppo N1 goes on Sale €499

Starting December 10th OPPO’s latest big flagship phone, the N1, will go on sale direct to consumers for $599 in the U.S. and €449 ( approx £370) in Europe. N1 is sporting a 5.9-inch 1080p display, a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB …

Pebble Watch now on Amazon – for a price!

The best ever Kickstarter project the Pebble Smart watch is now available on Amazon through their marketplace. Pebble is so far the only cross platform smartwatch, supporting iOS and Android already, with Windows Phone to come (and some limited Windows Phone 3rd party apps available already).  I’m one of …

Tesco Mobile offering the Moto G for £99

It’s sadly showing as unavailable when we click on the listing but, if you can find it, the Moto G is now just £99 at Tesco. If you’ve got 99 Clubcard points you can buy it that way but, for 99 quid, this is a steal. It comes …

Argos stores in UK and Ireland to get O2 WiFi

O2 continues to build out its own nationwide WiFi network, and today they’ve announced a partnership with catalogue outlet Argos. They will provide O2 WiFi in 735 of the chain’s stores across the UK and Ireland. O2 WiFi access will be made available for free in Argos stores …

HTC announces the HTC One in gold

Remember the £2700 ‘real gold’ HTC One? Well, this one’s more of a cheaper ‘champagne’ version. HTC has announced a new “golden” version of the HTC One to go alongside the silver, black, red and blue versions. In this version the aluminum chassis has been treated with a …

UK retailer now stocking Moto G shells and flip covers.

Since the Moto G went on sale, one of the most frequent questions has been surrounding availability of the different colored backs and flip covers. UK retailer Clove Technology now has a range of both on sale to buy now, with the backs costing just £8.99 and the …

Huawei Ascend P6 price drop to £199

With the arrival of phones like the Moto G and Nexus 5, pricing in the mid to high-end Android smartphone space has become more competitive than ever. Now we’re starting to see other handsets creep down in price to meet this new challenge. UK retailer Carphone Warehouse has …

KitKat-Based OmniROM Available for Google Nexus

Are you a Nexus 5 owner? Are you into the custon ROM scene? Well if you are like me (my N5 was just a few mere hours old before the bootloader was unlocked and the device rooted). Google Nexus 5 owners looking to get in on the fun: …

Android 4.4 KitKat rolling out to Nexus 7s, Nexus 10

If you have got a Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013 Wifi models) or a Nexus 10 you may want to start checking for the big update right about now, as the OTA to KitKat has been released into the wild according to the official Android Google+ account. The …

Lenovo announce The Vibe Z with Snapdragon 800 and dual-SIM unveiled

Lenovo has announced a new smartphone the Vibe Z. It’s got a decent high end spec using the mighty Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, an Adreno 320 GPU, a 5.5 – inch 1080p display, a 13-megapixel f/1.8 dual-LED flash camera and a 5-megapixel front facing snapper. …

Carphone Warehouse to stock HTC Desire 500

Bringing the best bits of HTC at an affordable price, it’s the Desire 500 and it’s now available at Carphone Warehouse. They have become the first UK retailer to start this device and you can hook it into all the major mobile networks. If you enjoy HTC BoomSound …

Carphone warehouse to get vivid blue HTC One

Independent retailer Carphone Warehouse has today launched the “vivid blue” version of the HTC One in the UK. The Blue HTC One Mini is also up for pre-order. Carphone, which has exclusivity over the blue HTC One in the UK, and prices are set at £489.95 SIM-free, also …

Could EE’s 4G bandwidth fees quadruple?

Ofcom has published a consultation on greatly increasing annual fees for the 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum bands in the UK to bring them more in line with the additional bands auctioned for 4G coverage. This could see rises in the amounts that networks pay to run their mobile …

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – Hands on

Today I nipped to the local Three store to obtain a SIM card,. While there I was just making general enquiries about the Galaxy Note 3, the guy serving me said that the Samsung retail rep was in the store and they should be told release dates today. …

Amazon announces Kindle Fire HDX tablets

Amazon has announced two new Kindle Fire HDX tablets, one with a 7-inch 1920×1200 screen and another with an 8.9-inch 2560×1600. These screen sizes and resolutions are enough to give Google’s Nexus tablets a run for their money, and their 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 SoCs and 2GB of RAM …

Casing shortage’ affecting HTC’s ability to meet demand for smaller handset

Supply chain problems may add to HTC’s difficulties this quarter, if a recent report from Reuters is accurate. The news agency reports via “sources familiar with the matter,” that the Taiwanese manufacturer is facing shortages of the HTC One Mini’s aluminum casing due to “design difficulties.” The report …

Happy Birthday Android

I can’t believe it’s been nearly half a decade since I got my hands on the the HTC G1, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Today marks the 5th anniversary of Android. The initial release was on September 23rd 2008 and we covered the launch and the new …

iOS 7 waterproofs your device.. erm…Not.

A fake Apple advert claiming the new iOS7 software makes iPhones and iPads waterproof has apparently fooled some users into destroying their devices. The “advert” circulating on social media sites claims that updating devices with the operating system installs a “smart switch” that cuts off the phone’s power …

Focal Camera app now on Google Play

Following the launch of Cyanogen Inc., the Focal Camera app became a casualty when it was removed from the CM builds. It has, however, reappeared with a proper release in Google Play. Labeled as a beta product, it’s an improved (but not finished) release of the open-source camera …

NYPD tells Apple users to update to iOS 7

The New York Police Department has started handing out flyers outside the city’s Apple stores, asking people to update to the latest version of iOS. Well, it would appear that the police in New York are entirely fed up of chasing after iPhone thieves. In New York, iPhone and …

BBM for Android and iOS put on hold

Following on from my last post about a number of fake BBM apps in the Play Store, BlackBerry has finally given a statement on the status of the BBM rollout for users on Android and iOS, and it looks like things are on hold for the time being. …

Google Play full of fake BBM apps.

Since everyone’s asking, yes. There are a bunch of “BBM” apps in Google Play at the moment. None of them is real. We know that people are getting excited about BBM for Android. We are, too. But we also need to be a little patient as BlackBerry works …