Category: Android

HTC Butterfly flies past Europe

Quick summary then. The HTC Butterfly has a 1920×1080 5″ 1080p screen with 440 PPI resolution, quad-core 1.5GHz CPU, 8 megapixel camera (and another 2.1 megapixel shooter up front), a long-life 2020 mAh battery and it’s all powered by Android. It was launched at the start of this …

Google Play now lets you redeem gift cards

On Friday Dan told you about Google gift cards and how they’re headed to the UK. Yesterday I did a check and, sure enough, there’s the chance to Redeem gift cards in the menu of Google Play. There’s one problem though. You simply can’t buy Google gift cards …

Nexus 4 back to sold out status

With many people still waiting to get their hands on the Nexus 4 from Google direct, a little while ago orders were reopened to allow more people to place their order and get in the line for the new Android flagship phone. As expected though orders started flooding …

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 Super-cheap deal

This offer seems to be getting lots of “heat” over at HotUKDeals so I figured it was worth a mention. So, if you’re looking for a cheap, but actually quite good, tablet – then how about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 for £145? Well, thanks to the …

Huawei to launch an Apple and Samsung-beating handset

I’ve said it many, many times before and I’ll say it once again… in bold font… Watch out for Huawei When I looked at the Ascend P1 I was amazed at how good it was. It’s nothing short of fantastic, and their kit is getting better by the …

Google Play UK gift cards incoming?

If you purchased one of the original Nexus 7 devices from Google direct on launch you were given some free credit to use for any items from the Google Play store.  Apart from this free gift all other purchases have been made on a PAYG basis with your …

Nexus 7 tablet dock unboxed

Anyone out there who owns a Nexus 7 tablet (and let’s face it there will be LOADS of you considering the great price you can get one at) and wishes if only had a desk dock to use with it then your mobile life would be complete, we …

Coolsmartphone Xmas Gift Guide – Part 4

Some of the other writers are probably going to suggest something flashy, or at the least something you’ll be able to show off to your friends… But my recommendation for the one you love is proof that good things come in small packages. Since most still take micro …

What is going on with the Nexus 4? *Updated*

Since the Nexus 4 became available and then promptly sold out on the Play store a few weeks ago, thousands of customers have been waiting for their orders to be delivered and even more have been waiting just for the opportunity to place an order. Anyone who listened …

EE adds Android tablets to their range

EE today have introduced the first Android tablets to their range of devices accompanying the iPad and iPad mini. As of today, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE or Google Nexus 7 by ASUS bundle (paired with Huawei E589 Mobile Wi-Fi) Price details are included …

LG Nexus 4 discounted on 3rd party Vodafone contracts

Looking for a Nexus 4? Whilst generally browsing around and I’ve been checking different websites to see what’s available. I think I’ve found a bargain. The guys over at Digital Phone Company sell Vodafone contracts and they have discounted the Nexus 4. They’re showing the 16GB variant as …

Dell to stop making smartphones

When was the last time you saw a Dell smartphone? There were some. Honestly their were. In recent years we saw the Dell Streak, which I always typed as “Steak” before getting uncontrollably hungry. Tesco were selling it earlier this year for a knock-down price. It had a …

BBC iPlayer Gets updated for Android 4.2

BBC iPlayer was updated late this evening so that it now works on Android devices running version 4.2 Jellybean. Whilst users who already had the app installed then upgraded to 4.2 had a working version, those who had a fresh install or new device couldn’t download either iPlayer …

Facebook for Android goes native – finally works faster

Use Facebook on your Android device? Now you can do so and it’ll work faster than it did before. The previous Facebook app was built on using HTML5 like a lot of apps this can be slow but now it’s gone native. Going native on a platform opens …

Eric Schmidt says “Google is the new Microsoft”

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has given an interview with Bloomberg in which he talks about how Google is “Winning war” between Apple and Google in the smartphone market. The problem with the comments Schmidt makes in this article is that he’s comparing Apple as one manufacturer against Androids veritable …

Google Maps for iOS is back!

Do we really need to give you the history on this? Oh, OK. I’ll do it briefly then. If you had an iPhone a few months back then you’ll have used Google Maps as the default mapping solution. Apple changed all that though, and along cam Apple Maps …

HTC are beginning to confuse me

Back in February we saw HTC making a big decision. The HTC One Series meant that the company would concentrate on a core group of handsets – the One X, One S and One V. It was clear. The One X was the power-house. The One S was …

Nexus 4 FlexiShield Skin – Review

While I do love my Nexus 4, I did spend a fair amount of time in my review, and on the podcast, discussing its design flaws. Although the glass back might look and feel great, it certainly doesn’t help with durability or handling. It’s an accident waiting to happen, both …

Don’t use those free headphones? You should

Let me into a little secret, We review a lot of phones and sometimes, just sometimes, we don’t have time to test everything. In the Samsung Galaxy SIII review I looked at the headphones that came in the box, but never actually used them. The same headphones are …

Are magazines coming to the UK Play Store? Update – Yes!

For a while now UK Play Store users have been unable to get their hands on digital magazines. Unlike our friends over in the US. I for one have been using Zinio for a few years now and I’ve survived. Well during the night we got a tip …

YouTube updated for Android 10″ tablets

One of the major drawbacks with Android 10″ tablets is the complete lack of apps specifically designed for them. Google has recently issued a call to arms for developers to try to get them coding tablet specific apps and has decided to lead the way with a version …

Astro updated – Google Drive, Dropbox and more

Hey you lovely, lovely reader you. How you doing? Tried Astro File Manager recently? It’s now got a stack of new features, but the one I’m using most is the Dropbox integration. Just grab the app, connect your account and start moving files around. It centralises all your …

Do you fancy a cheap dual SIM Android phone?

I have a thing about dual SIM phones. When I recently reviewed the Acer Liquid Gallant Duo I was amazed at the implementation of the dual SIM. Being able to choose between SIMs made my daily swapping of devices and SIM cards a whole lot easier. Expansys have …

Twitter app updated. Now includes photo filters. Bye bye Instagram

Update your official Twitter app today and you’ll find a host of new filters to make your photographs look a little less rubbish. After updating, just create a new tweet and insert and image. You then get the chance to crop, fix or add a filter. There’s nine …

Announcing the HTC One SV

In a rather confusing twist, HTC have today lifted the lid on a brand new 4G LTE enabled Android handset called the One SV. The name appears to be a (con)fusion of the HTC One, the One S and the One V while the hardware is an Android …

Jellybean Update for Motorola RAZR i on the way

By far the biggest bone of contention for most Android handset owners is the lack of updates or the lack of information regarding updates. Many manufacturers have a page that details which devices will be receiving updates with a rough approximation of when they will arrive.  Motorola is no …

The numbers behind Androids success

We all love a good infographic don’t we? They show you a whole load of facts and figures and leave you feeling all warm inside (not sure if that’s just me). We’ve been sent this one that shows a load of facts and figures about the rise of …

Storage Options Unveils its Most Powerful Tablet

Storage Options are a UK based electronics firm who have been making tablets for a few years now. Today they have announced a new dual core 7″ tablet. The Scroll Evoke is what their calling this one. Spec wise it seems pretty decent. Although historically Storage Options have …

Samsung Galaxy SIII Premium Suite upgrade – Part 2

The other day Samsung showed us some of the features that will feature in the Jelly Bean upgrade for the Galaxy SIII. Well Samsung have released another video showing some more features. Here is the description from YouTube. How did you like the functions of the Galaxy SIII …

Google Wallet coming to the UK? [UPDATE]

One of our eagle-eyed readers (thanks, Daniel!) has spotted a signup page for Google Wallet – on Google UK, no less. The signup page, located at www.google.co.uk/wallet/, promises that the next version of Google Wallet is “coming soon”, presumably with UK support. This signup page is nothing new – the …

LG Nexus 4 official bumper case – Review

Ahh, the Nexus 4, the latest and greatest phone you can’t get hold of. If you are lucky enough to get one, you will soon realise you need protection for it. I prefer bumper cases to full cases, as they don’t add too much bulk to the original …

Oppo Finder 5 set for worldwide launch

Oppo is not a name that many will be overly familiar with. Based in  Dongguan, Guangdong in China, Oppo have be manufacturers of mp3 players, blu-ray players, audio equipment and mobile phones since 2004. Now they are set to break the record for the worlds thinnest smartphone with the impending …

HTC Desire C price dip, possible gift material

We reviewed the HTC Desire C when it was selling for £189 unlocked. The 600MHz CPU struggled a little with serious browsing and the camera quality wasn’t stellar, but now it’s down to just £87.26 if you’re upgrading in store and online at Carphone Warehouse. The pay as …

Adblock Plus – A double-edged sword

We received an email from the developer of this app just yesterday and weren’t entirely sure what to do. As you’ll no doubt be aware, this site is funded by advertising. The same can be said for the many thousands of “free” apps in the Google Play store. …

LG Nexus 4 – Review

There’s no point beating around the bush; the Nexus 4 is awesome. I absolutely love it. It’s the best Android phone I’ve ever used and, £ for £, most likely the best phone you can(‘t) buy.  There are still a few flaws, and I’ll get to them, but …

Samsung Galaxy SIII Premium Suite upgrade

Then other day we mentioned that Jelly Bean had started to roll out to Samsung Galaxy SIII owners. It has long been mentioned that many of the features from the Galaxy Note II were meant to cross over to the Galaxy SIII. Things like Multi View and Page …

Archos release their new Gamepad tablet

Archos have released the Gamepad, it is available to buy now. The Gamepad has a selection of hardware buttons, d-pads and sticks so gamers should be happy with the physical controls. Archos have also added some level of control mapping to the buttons as well. Where you should …

Acer Iconia A510 – Review

I’ve had the Iconia A510 a few weeks now and I’ve used it pretty extensively. Mainly because I took it on holiday with me at the end of November. Now it’s time to bring you the full review. Nut first the good and bad points of the device. …