Category: Android

HTC One A9 – The details

You’ve seen the launch, you’ve heard the rumours and now it’s here – the very latest member of the HTC One family. Meet the HTC One A9.. Boasting an “evolution” of the original HTC One design, there’s a new “metalmorphics” approach to the design and finish of the …

HTC Launch Event – Watch LIVE

There had been a fair amount of leaks for the HTC One A9. Orange France gave us our most recent and clearest look at the new HTC handset, as you can see here.. Today we’re not in London or even New York (where the feed below seems to …

Motorola wants to make you think

We just received this rather bizzare email from the Motorola PR team. Here is the first line from the email… Motorola has created a video with comedian Alfie Brown and a member of the public for the #PhonyJob challenge to see how tough a day in the life …

Blackberry Priv official!

Who’d have thought it, a desirable Blackberry? Well, that is exactly what has happened with the newly announced Blackberry Priv. This one has been in the pipeline for some time now, and it’s got a few of us at CoolSmartPhone Towers rather flustered. We have written about it …

Lollipop, now pounding on a quarter of Androids

The release of a new version of Android always means a good look into how the versions are distributed. The ‘good’ news first: Android Lollipop is now up to 22.9% – almost a quarter of current handsets. Next up is KitKat (which is specifically Android 4.4) at a …

Xperia Z5 – Unboxing

That time of year has come. It’s the time that all geeks look forward to every year. It is, of course, upgrade time. Those of you who are frequent readers will no doubt be aware that I am currently using the Xperia Z3 as my daily driver. Although I …

Vodafone offers up the Nexus 6P complete with free tablet

If you are a Vodafone customer or intend to be, have a look at their site right now. The Nexus 6P is available to pre-order and, if you’re quick and put your name down now, you’ll also receive a free Huawei 7” T1 tablet. A free tablet? Which …

OnePlus X to be revealed on 29th October

  Despite the launch of the first two phones from OnePlus being, shall we say, less than smooth, (I know I had to jump through the invite hoops for both my OnePlus One and Two) the company are still struggling to to get the Two into customer’s hands. …

Honor 7 – Review

Hmm.. The Honor 7. I’m sure someone told me this was a “mid-range” handset. It was almost as if they didn’t want me to get to excited about it. Let’s have a look at the specs first then.. Screen – 5.2″ 1080×1920 (424 ppi) CPU – HiSilicon Kirin …

Windows 10 Mobile updates to be pushed out from Microsoft directly

One of the great differences between Apple on the one hand, and Google and Microsoft on the other, is that Apple controls all aspects of its hardware and software. This means it pushes out OS updates quickly and without having to wait for approval from carriers and manufacturers. Android …

Misfit Shine – A quick overview

Just last year Gears reviewed the Misfit Shine, a personal tracker that also, if you want, can double as a necklace. Now we have the Misfit Flash and, ahead of the full review, here’s a quick look at how this one works. It’s a small device around the …

Vodafone Call+ in action

Following a quick demo from the team at Vodafone on their new Call+ features, I thought it would be useful to do a short write up before a full review in the coming weeks (should the loaner phone arrive soon). If you aren’t familiar with Call+, it’s a …

Nexus 6P – Horrible unavailable message for UK

I get it Google. You’re busy creating new software and working with fantastic ideas and getting your current new stock out the door, as well as buying domains that nobody in their right minds will want to say out loud. Oh, you haven’t heard? Google bought abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.com. No, …

Z3 or Z3c owner? Want to test Marshmallow?

I like the Sony Z range. They look like well-designed and distinctive pieces of kit, but I was a little hesitant. I never knew what their upgrade strategy would be from handset to handset, so when I heard about this Concept for Android initiative, where Sony allows you …

HTC A9 on view in leaked images

With a product launch just around the corner (next Tuesday), the HTC leaks have kicked in again and we’ve a look at the HTC A9. The leaks, courtesy of @onleaks, show a device which has the bottom-mounted speaker grills we’ve seen on the Huawei P8 and iPhone 6 …

Huawei Mate S – Review

Huawei released their new flagship phablet last month – The Huawei Mate S. I was lucky enough to attend the launch event and got a hold of one of the devices. I have been using it over the last few weeks to see how good it was, and …

OnePlus 2 going up for 1 hour Open Sale

Did you have anything planned around about lunchtime on Monday 12th October? If so cancel it. Take an early lunch break and get ready for some intense F5 action! OnePlus are opening their store up to allow anyone to buy a OnePlus 2, regardless of whether you have …

Android 6 Marshmallow OTA rolling out.

Have you got a Nexus 6, 5 , 7, 9, or Nexus Player? If you have, it looks like now is the time for mashing the “check for updates” button. It appears that the latest version of Android is being sent out as an OTA update to those …

Got a Windows Phone? Convert it, maybe, to Windows 10 in December

If you’ve got all warm and fuzzy about those new Lumia handsets and want a piece of Windows 10 action on your existing Windows Phone, come close. Microsoft have revealed that the spanky new OS will be available for upgrading this December. The info is buried in a …

Honor 7 – Photography special

Hello. I’m reviewing the Honor 7 handset at the minute and, as I always do, it’s my main device for the next week or so. As part of my testing, I’ve been playing with the camera. The camera, let me tell you, is really rather good. At the …

BLOCKS Modular Smartwatch – Kick-starting Soon!

Remember the smartwatch we covered some time ago where you build your own customisable watch? Each “link” in the strap contains a module for example GPS, Heartbeat monitor and so on. You upgrade your watch, whenever new modules become available. Well things have gone into over-drive yesterday when …

Is Google about to announce a new partnership with Microsoft?

For Windows users today looks to be an exciting day. Starting at 1500 GMT Microsoft will take the wraps off its latest hardware and software developments. Much is already known about the devices themselves (phones, tablets, and wearables) but I’ve got a nagging sense that there’s still a …

Traffic Nation: Street Drivers Review

There is an abundance of car racing games available on both Google Play and Apple App Store. Traffic Nation: Street Drivers reminds me of racers who terrorise your Saturday nights in town and a 80s racing classic where you had to dodge cars because your car was faster …

Huawei P8. Want one? Get it here

Available for just a bit less than £300, the sleek Huawei P8 I was using last week is now also available from Gearbest. The exact price is £296.01 and for that you’re getting a 5.2″ 1920 x 1080 pixel  screen, 4G compatibility, a 2GHz octa core CPU plus 3GB …

HTC unable to commit to monthly security updates

Android security is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons after the latest round of vulnerabilities have made international press. The background problem is that Android is supported on multiple platforms via a wide range of manufacturers from Samsung to HTC, and all those in-between. …

M&M – Motorola & Marshmallow

Motorola have announced which devices in its product portfolio will get the Android 6.0 update in a blog post. All the most recent devices are included, apart from the 2nd generation Moto E (the one with the bigger screen and 4G). The complete list is as follows: 2015 …

Google Nexus 9 (16GB) now £179.99 at Argos

Argos have dropped the price of the HTC made Nexus 9 16GB to £179.99 online. The Nexus 9 32GB has had its price cut to £299.99 as well. The Nexus 9 is last year’s Nexus tablet which brought the 4:3 aspect ratio to Google’s Nexus range. As of …

Rumoured Lumia 550 makes and appearance on the web

So, we already know that Microsoft will shortly be launching their new Lumia 950 and 950XL but now, according to serial tipster @evleaks, a lower-end device might be joining the line-up. This, the Lumia 550, looks to be heading to the October 6th event too. It’ll do 4G, …

Keeping an eye on the kids

If you’ve read this site for a while, you’ll probably know how I’m a big campaigner for internet safety, especially when it involves kids. The “lag” involved in locking down unsafe videos on sites like YouTube meant that anyone could’ve watched a double murder online. Plus, with so …

Symetium “super phone” going into crowdsourcing

Here is something a little different. Symetium, which is a Swedish based company, are looking to crowdfund their latest smartphone to get it market. It has been designed to remove the lines between mobile and desktop devices. This is being done by delivering desktop-class performance in a form …

Nexus 5X preorders at Carphone Warehouse

Whilst perusing my favourite deals site earlier today, I spied this link which will take you into the land of Keith Lemon. No seriously though, head to Carphone Warehouse and you will find that they’re taking pre-orders for the Nexus 5X. Not only that, but they are cheaper …

Why, is that a DOOGEE HOMTOM HT6 I see before me?

Gotta love those guys at DOOGEE. They’re a bit mental. They say no to fashion and like to be … well, “different” 🙂 Here’s one of their phones – the HOMTOM HT6. Yes, we said HOMTOM. It’s £92.58 ($139.99) and is available in black or silver. It’s on …

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ video overview

Yesterday you’ll have hopefully seen our Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ review. It’s a big-screen phone with a sexy curved screen which can display additional information down the side of the handset. It’ll also let you hop quickly into your favourite contacts and apps. However, there’s more tricks available, …

Nexus, Nexus… 5X and 6P finally land

The Chocolate factory went all-in on one of their more interesting annual events. The speakers were tight, and the announcements flew by. We were expecting two Nexuses and boy did Google deliver. First up, there was the Nexus 5X. This was the second 5 inch phone made by …

HTC to launch the first Marshmallow device

OK, quick version. The next version of Android is going to be called Marshmallow. More voice interaction is coming, meaning that we’ll be chatting to our phones more and additional third-party apps will be able to use Google voice commands. Your apps should be able to ask you …

Five reasons why you need a reading app

I’m not a massive fan of this time of year. The nights here in the UK are getting longer and the days are getting shorter, so I usually like to book a winter break – even if it’s a quick weekend away. Whether it’s a skiing holiday, a …

Go fix your own phone – Fairphone 2 launched

Right, headline figures for you. This is a phone with a 5″ Full HD display, 8 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel selfie shooter, dual SIM and Android 5.1. Inside it runs a Qualcomm® Snapdragon 801 (Quad-Core 2.26 GHz) with 2GB RAM and there’s 32 GB of storage. GPS, …