Category: Android

Google Now helps with your Hotel Stay

As we know Google Now is growing what seems like every day, new features get added and they find new ways to help us get through the day with the right information we need at the right time. So Google has added a new feature to Google Now …

Qcktag – Android app review

Qcktag is the solution to a problem you probably didn’t realise you had. Once used it becomes a bit addictive and can be damn handy as well. What is it about and what does it do? Read on… Contact lists on mobile phones. They grow and grow as …

Google Now Launcher available for most devices.

Ever since owning a Nexus 5 my launcher of choice is the Google Now Launcher. But up until recently the Launcher was only compatible with Nexus devices, meaning only way to get it on a none specified device was to download the apk file and side load it. …

Pre order the Samsung Galaxy Alpha even though it doesn’t exist yet

It’s Friday night, what would be an ideal activity? Pre ordering a phone that doesn’t officially exist yet. And that phone is the much hyped premium material Samsung Galaxy Alpha. Which we saw leaked the other week. Well anyway Mobilefun have opened up pre orders for the Galaxy …

Cat Phones, now available in your high street

If you get a posh smartphone and then hide it away inside a massively rugged cover, Cat Phones are probably worth looking at. We’ve already thrown one in the bath and the people who make the phone even drove a honking great digger over lots of B15 handsets. …

I get a lot of requests to post stuff. This one is for free.

People often ask me to post stuff here. I get a lot of very random emails from companies from Shenzhen in China especially. Usually they start with “Hello friend, battery supply we can. You buy we price good. You review?” However, my mate wanted me to mention something …

Shamu – maybe the next Nexus to make a splash

Its that crazy time of the month – no, not that one, the other time. That time when Apple rumours start to go into overdrive and both Nexus and Galaxy Note stories spring up from almost nowhere… Almost nowhere. The Information ran a report stating that the new …

Samsung Galaxy S5 mini and Young 2 to arrive in the UK in days

The Samsung Young 2 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini are due to arrive here in the UK very soon indeed, so if that Galaxy S5 5.1″ screen is too much, you can have a slightly smaller one instead. Sasmsung tell us that the shrunk-down version of the …

Wait (W8) One Mate (M8), a new HTC Windows Phone is on its way

Some good news and some bad news here folks. First the good: Last week I bemoaned the lack of any alternatives to the monster Lumia 1520 or Glance-less Lumia 930 for top end WP 8 phones.  Clearly someone was paying attention as it would appear HTC are about …

Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 coming next week

One thing that Microsoft was certainly guilty of in the past but has since remedied is the speed by which it offers updates to its mobile phone OS. Windows Phone 8.1, released as a developer’s preview just a few months ago, has undergone a series of small revisions that fixed various …

Get the kids out for summer – AA Days Out Guide

Here in the UK it’s the big summer holidays. The kids are off school and the teachers are taking a well-earned break from their 200 days at work. With the sun actually appearing in the sky and kids wanting to play out, it’s a tough time for parents, …

Three WiFi calling app now on Android too

Just yesterday we revealed the new app from Three which lets you make and receive calls over WiFi. It’ll use the same minutes and texts from your bundles, and it’s so great way to fill gaps in coverage or use your phone abroad. Yesterday the iOS version of …

Cortana to speak with a British accent

A week ago we reported that the developer preview for Cortana in the UK should be heading to these shores in the next few weeks. It has now been confirmed from two Microsoft employees that when she arrives, she won’t be voiced by Jen Taylor, the actress who …

O2 Lumia 1520 Cyan Upadate now AVAILABLE

Despite what the Nokia Availability site  says, the Cyan Update for Windows Phone 8.1 is out now on O2 at least. Since early July I have been using the “Settings & Phone Update” option to check and this morning it paid off. After a small Nokia Update I was …

EU delivers pre-emptive slap for purchasing in free Apps

When is free, not free? Or free, kinda, but not quite all the time. Except… mostly. Yep, we’re talking about those apps and games which are built around the freemium model. There’s more than one way to build a freemium app. The first way is to build a …

Do iPhones slow down when a new version is available?

There is a great conspiracy theory around that Apple have planned obsolescence, ie their iPhones automatically become slower when a new iPhone is about to appear. It is, say the conspiracies, a clever way to get you upgrading. Whilst this would be illegal and would run the risk …

Find your next network by strength easily

This got pushed into my Twitter timeline and, despite it being in beta, it looks fairly promising. If you’re looking for your next phone and are considering a switch to another network, coverage maps are always good to check. They’ll let you know what the signal is like …

World’s cheapest smartphone launched

Priced at an amazing £26 the Karbonn A50S is set to launch in India. The Karbonn A50S features the Android operating system and has access to the Google ecosystem including Gmail and Maps. It also has a touchscreen display, front and rear cameras (no details on megapixels, although …

Chromecast now available on Vodafone UK

If you’re looking to get the back-of-your-TV dongle that is the Google Chromecast, Vodafone are now offering it up for a mere £25 with their 4G plans. The gadget, which we took a look at in detail here, will let you watch YouTube, NetFlix and iPlayer media on …

Sky launches new Sky Service app

British Sky Broadcasting, the satellite broadcaster for the United Kingdom have launched another app to compliment their growing suite. The new app, available on iOS and Android gives an easy way to view and manage your account, make changes to things such as Pin number, engineer bookings and …

We’re giving away a OnePlus One invite, but be quick!

The people behind the OnePlus One are selling the handset through an invite system. This makes it pretty hard to get hold of but you do join an exclusive list of people owning one. We’ve already had a hands-on with the OnePlus One and now we’re giving away …

Windows Phone Live Lock Screen Beta is now available

Are you one of those lucky people who are running Windows Phone 8.1? Do you fancy a new style lockscreen? Well today is your lucky day. Microsoft have finally released that fancy lockscreen that they showed off a while back. And it’s rather nice. Want to truly personalize …

Has the Lumia 930 had its chips?

I’m honestly not sure where to start with this one. Yes, I could throw in a large amount of potato-puns, but to be honest I’m trying to pick myself up after seeing the picture associated with this story. The idea and PR stunt itself is a great one. …

Explore feature added to Google Maps

Google is rolling out a new feature in Google Maps with “Explore”. Once updated you’ll notice a small location pin button in the bottom right next to the location button — tap it, and you’ll be taken into the new Explore interface with information tailored to your location. …

The HTC One (M8) Launches in Red and Pink

The HTC One (M8) is one of the most popular flagship Android devices that has been launched this year, and today HTC have announced that the device will be released shortly in 2 new colours Red & Pink. Both new colour variants retain the brushed metal, curved unibody …

Images of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha leak out

Rumours, leaks and people’s imagination are what fill the gaps between new phones being announced these days. Not a week goes by without speculation about a forthcoming Samsung device. The rumours surrounding the metallic Galaxy F or Galaxy Alpha have been kicking around for a while now and …

UK Moto G getting KitKat 4.4.4 with added features

Are you the owner of the universally liked Moto G handset ? If so it looks like this your lucky day. The latest update to the Android OS – KitKat 4.4.4 – is rolling out to devices. The KitKat update has mainly been patches and bug fixes, but …

Microsoft announce the Lumia 530

The Lumia range is stretches right across a wide price range, with many budget entry level devices being available. The Lumia 520 was the most successful Windows Phone ever and Microsoft/Nokia will be hoping the latest addition to their portfolio will share a similar success. This new phone …

OnePlus One – First Impressions

OnePlus – the newbie Android manufacturer with the ‘Never Settle’ motto, the incomprehensible marketing  strategy and the very hard to get hold of smartphone The One. The black ‘Sandstone’ 64gb version  was delivered just five minutes before I left the house for an away visit which involved an …

Microsoft’s WP8.1 Lock Screen on its way

When Microsoft took the wraps off Windows Phone 8.1 back in May one of the most anticipated features was the new lock screen app. To the dismay of many, when WP8.1 was released this feature was noticeably absent. Several months on Joe Belfiore, the head of the Windows Phone …

Nokia McLaren hits the scrapheap

Windows Phone currently suffers from two intractable problems. The first is the oft cited ‘apps gap’. The second, I would argue, is far more important: it is the limited range of handsets available.  For those wanting a top spec phone, choices are effectively limited to the year old Lumia 1020, …

Cortana coming to the UK soon…

One of the great new features of Windows Phone 8.1 was Cortana, the voice activated assistant. A grammatical mistake I hear you cry!  One of the great new features of Windows Phone 8.1 will be Cortana, the voice activated assistant. Of course, for those in the UK (or anywhere …

Want to upgrade to Lumia Cyan? Downgrade first…

Now that the Nokia Lumia Cyan software has started to roll out there has been a general torrent of people reporting problems. Millions of us signed up for Microsoft’s Preview for Developers, a simple and foolproof means of getting early releases of Windows Phone 8.1 onto our handsets. The …

Is this the thinnest smartphone ever ?

Remember the Gionee Elife S5.5? (Me neither!) Well that device was a ridiculously thin handset at just 5.5 mm thick. Now China has certified an upcoming Android handset from the same company, codenamed the GN9005,. It reportedly measures only 5mm (0.2in) thick; that’s half a millimetre less than …

Quick, buy these before I do

eBay seem to be having one of their sales, and there’s a selection of electronic gadgets listed here that you might like. I’ve already spotted a number of Android tablets for less than £100, and there’s more to choose from if you’ve got a bit more cash too. …

Do you fancy trying to break your Oppo Find 7?

Unified storage is something we’ve come to take for granted these days, your shiny new phone or tablet has an internal memory dying for you to fill it with your junk. That memory is one nice big lump with no restrictions on what you can put where. But …

7 Digital app launches on BlackBerry World

BlackBerry is currently going through the biggest change of its existence and this new app is one of the next steps. 7 Digital, the successful digital music retailer and producer of extensive radio programming content for the BBC, are the backbone service provider of digital content for many …

Windows Phone Emulator lets you play with 8.1

There’s an “emulator” of sorts on the Nokia website if you fancy having a try of Windows Phone. It won’t let you do absolutely everything, and is more like a bunch of links to movie files, but it will let you learn more about the OS if you’re …