Author: Simon Allum

Something PIG is coming…….

Rovio, the makers of the famed Angry Birds series have launched a teaser trailer for their upcoming spin off, Bad Piggies. Angry Birds is one of the biggest games if not the biggest available on mobile and has seen releases across almost all smartphone platforms. The video ends …

KeyCase Google Nexus 7 Keyboard Case Review

The Asus built Google tablet has been out for a while now and  Nexus 7 accessories are coming thick and fast. Once such accessory is the Keycase Google Nexus 7 Keyboard Case.  If you hadn’t guessed by the name it is a case for the Nexus 7 that comes …

Sony Announce 3 New Products At IFA – Including Bond Phone

  More announcements from IFA came from Sony.  In total Sony announced 3 new mobile products, 2 phones and 1 tablet. The first was the Xperia T, Sony’s new flagship top of the range handset which is set to feature in the upcoming Bond movie Skyfall. The main …

Alchemy HD For Android

I first played Alchemy a long while ago and spent many a frustrating hour trying to achieve perfection…I didn’t succeed then and now as if to haunt me comes Alchemy HD.  The same riveting game designed especially for HD resolution screens – it looks like the Nexus 7 …

Weather HD Now Available On Android

iOS users may well be aware of the popular app Weather HD. This visually stunning weather forecasting app has now been made available for Android devices. The weather is displayed in high-definition videos, with accurate weather forecasts from all around the world and comes complete with 7-day and …

Opinion: Apple v Samsung – After the Main Event

So the dust is beginning to settle after the so-called tech court case of the decade.  Apple has come out the victor and Samsung supposedly have been crushed – or at least their lawyers have.  So what’s next? For Apple it will be business as usual, there will …

4G – What and Why….

Over the last couple of  days you may have heard and read alot of coverage regarding 4G and the fact that Everything Everywhere have been granted a license for Britain’s first 4G network. When discussing this with people who love their smartphone but aren’t really followers of the …

Mobile Banking – Do YOU Dare??

The number of smartphones in use around the world is growing everyday and the functionality that they offer is growing with it.  Things that previously could only be done at home or on a visit to the local high street can now be done on the move, be …

My Phone History – By Simon Allum

So after the chat about old phones in the most recent podcast it got us all talking (behind the scenes) about all the phones we have had through the years. So, inspired by that, a few of us have put together our phone history! So, here we go… Motorola M3188 …

Ofcom approve Everthing Everywhere to deliver 4G very soon

Ofcom have today approved Everything Everywhere to deliver 4G from September this year. Which means T-Mobile and Orange will be able to offer super fast mobile broadband very soon. Obviously you will need a compatible handset, but this is great news for the consumer. What it means for …

Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition Now Only £184.99

Expansys have today reduced the price of the Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition to only £184.99. The tablet with 16gb of onboard storage and has an 8.2″ screen.  The Xoom 2 ME sports a dual core 1.2ghz processor, Corning Gorilla Glass and runs on the Android 3.2 Honeycomb …

Sony Xperia SL – Coming Soon

The successor to Sony’s flagship Xperia S has appeared on Sony Mobile’s website. The Sony Xperia SL will launch with a 4.3″ TFT 1280×720 screen, a 1.7ghz Qualcomm Dual Core processor and will feature a 12.1 mega pixel camera. Weighing in at 144 grammes, the handset will be 10.6mm …

LG Optimus Vu Global To Launch Globally

  LG has announced details and global availability of its latest device the Optimus Vu.  The device, a mixture between a phone and a tablet (rather like the Samsung Galaxy Note) will be sporting a 5″ screen and come inclusive of 1gb RAM, 32gb onboard storage – no …

Xperia P Ice Cream Sandwich Upgrade Begins

Sony have today confirmed that the rollout of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to their mid range Xperia P handsets. The update brings several improvements such as an improved standby time which Sony claims increases standby times up to four fold.  There is a new  lockscreen with improved …

BBC Top Gear News App Now Available For All Platforms

At the risk of sounding sexist, ask a man what his main interests are and outside of women and beer the answer for the vast majority would be gadgets and cars. Hopefully we here at Coolsmartphone bring you your fill of phone related gadgets and now we can …

Lookout Launches Smartphone Family Guide

The mobile security company Lookout have launched a new guide for parents whose children use or want a smartphone. The guide entitled “Generation Smartphone: A Guide for Parents of Tweens and Teens” has been produced in conjunction with The Online Mom and outlines the important steps that parents can take to prepare their …

New Hands Free Traffic App with Data Supplied By The Highways Agency

For those that are constantly on the road, the Highways Agency has reached an agreement to feed up-to-date traffic information from England’s motorways and major A roads into a new hands-free app for smartphones.  The app from Information Logistics Inc automatically updates travel advisories based on your location …

Nexus 7 Accessory Lineup Leaked – Coming Soon

So, you have your shiny new Nexus 7, you’ve installed all your apps and got it running exactly as you want it.  But what about those official accessories to go with it.  After all those pesky iPad’s have them in their thousands! Well, according to Nordic Hardware the official …

Review – Nexus 7 SD Tabletwear Stand & Type Case

A few days ago we bought you news that the guys over at Mobile Fun have started to stock Google Nexus 7 Cases and Covers. One of the lines that is currently available is the SD Tabletwear Stand & Type Case and we here at Coolsmartphone have managed to …

Twitter Offline – now back online – 17:50

Visitors to the popular social networking site Twitter are currently being greeted with the following The Twitter status page says that engineers are working on the problem but there is no current estimated time for a fix. It is currently unknown how many users the outage is affecting. More …

Sony 2011 Handsets Not Getting Jellybean

It has been confirmed that the 2011 range of Sony handsets including the Xperia Arc S will not be getting Android 4.1 otherwise known as Jellybean. In an unsurprising move after their hesitation in upgrading to Ice Cream Sandwich, it was confirmed on Facebook by the UK Product Manager …

Hidden Sleep Function On Nexus 7 Revealed

A video released today demonstrates a previously hidden and rather useful feature on the Nexus 7 tablet. iPad and Blackberry owners will be aware of the sleep function that activates when your device is placed within a compatible case and this feature has also been included on the …

What’s Happening At Nokia?

Nokia appears to have a surprise instore for us in September.  At their flagship store in Helsinki which is currently closed for renovation the following posters have appeared in the windows. What Something Amazing could point to is anyone’s guess particularly considering the problems that Nokia are currently …

Sony Announce ICS Powered Walkman

The more mature amongst us remember the personal music revolution that was the original Sony Walkman.  Indeed, who could forget the constant rewinding of the cassette tape as you were walking along listening to your favourite tune or the stares of envy (or annoyance) as your own music …

New Day, New iPhone Leak

Speculation has been mounting regarding a possible date for the launch of the new iPhone and as the days go by more and more leaks are springing. Today’s comes thanks to a picture from Apple.pro and reportedly shows the front plate of the new iPhone which shows a newly …

BBC Olympic Apps Launch

The British summer (if we actually get one) of sport goes on, we’ve still not won anything but probably our best chance of glory is nigh. The Olympics are but days away, the M4 has re-opened, the Army are doing the security and the best of all, the …

New iPhone Photos Leak

Leak season is upon us once again and from here on in its all about the new iPhone. These photos come from Kitguru who have indicated that the photos are of a test assembly unit and were taken somewhere in the “Far East”. Pictured side by side with …

Rovio’s New Amazing Alex Now On Android and iOS

Fresh today from Rovio Mobile comes a brand new game, Amazing Alex. This whiz kid has a boundless imagination and a houseful of fun toys that can turn anything into an adventure! From cleaning up his room to battling cardboard robots in his backyard, Alex creates amazing chain …

Android.Dropdialer Identified on Google Play

Norton by Symantec have drawn our attention to the fact that they have identified a new malware posted to the official Google Play market. Masquerading as two popular games titles, Super Mario Bros and GTA 3 Moscow City, they were posted to Google Play on June 24 and since then have …

Android 4.1.1 Rolling Out to Nexus 7 & Galaxy Nexus

If you are one of those lucky enough to already have your hands on the Nexus 7 then expect an update to be heading your way rather soon. Google has started to roll out Android 4.1.1, build JRO03C which includes Google Wallet. The update is also rolling out to …

Opinion: Apple, Beauty or the Beast?

I listened with interest to Jamie’s self confessed rant on the Coolsmartphone podcast number 4 where he describes in great detail his thoughts on Apples actions around the patent lawsuits. It is really worth a listen, not only does his passion come across but so does the complexity …

Patent Wars: Now Galaxy Nexus Sales Ban Overturned

In what could be seen as a surprise move the ban on the sales of Google’s flagship Galaxy Nexus handset has been overturned by the appeals court. No reason has been given for the overturning however Apple have until Thursday to appeal.  The full trial is due to …

Exploding Galaxy S3 was microwaved!

A couple of weeks ago we reported on a possible case of an exploding Samsung Galaxy SIII.  It had been claimed by a user in Ireland that his S3 exploded whilst on his in-car charger. Appearing on Samsung’s global blog are details of how they contracted an independent investigator (Fire …

Amazon About to Enter Phone Market?

Reports coming from Bloomberg indicate that Amazon could be about to enter the mobile handset market and are said to be in the process of acquiring patents to protect themselves from possible litigation. The Chinese mobile manufacturer Foxconn is reported to be working with Amazon on the device.  There is …

Google Maps Indoors Now For The UK

One feature that has been available on Google Maps in the US for a while is “Maps Indoors”.  This feature gives the user an indoor floor plan of certain locations.  The good news is that this is now available for selected locations here in the UK, no update …

Samsung & Google Join Forces To Combat Patent Ban.

Google have declared that they are joining forces with Samsung in the patent wars.  Within hours of their appeal against the sales ban of the Galaxy Nexus handset in the US being turned down, Google have said that they, together with Samsung, are ready to release an OTA patch …

Patent Wars: Now Samsung Galaxy Nexus is Banned in US

We reported a few days ago that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been banned from sale in the US pending the outcome of a patent trial bought by Apple. Well, it would seem that Judge Lucy Koh is a bit of an Apple fan as she has now …

Opinion: Google, You have failed again!

At 5.30pm on Wednesday night I settled myself down to watch the keynote speech at Google I/o – Google’s developers conference (their very own version of WWDC.) There had been plenty of rumours about an upcoming OS release, a new tablet and Google TV. I watched as Android …